1 1 


Manchester,  Conn. 


The 
One  Hundredth  Anniversary 
of  the 
Organization 

of  the 

First  Church  of  Christ 


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ORGANIZATION 


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FIRST   CHURCH   OF  CHRIST 


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MANCHESTER,  CONN. 


Jjistorual  ^b&rtssts 

By  Rev.  S.  W.  ROBBINS  and  Dea.  R.  R.  DIMOCK. 

SKETCHES  OF  MINISTERS  FROM  THE  PARISH, 

A      BRIEF      ACCOUNT     OF 

OTHER    CHURCH    ORGANIZATIONS,    CHURCH    EDIFICES,    AND 

PUBLIC    SCHOOLS;    ALSO    THE    NAMES    OF    THE 

ORIGINAL   PETITIONERS    FOR    THE 

Ecclesiastical    Society    of    Orford,    1772. 


HARTFORD,    CONN.: 

The  Case,  Lockwood  &  Brainard  Co.  Print. 

1880. 


1779-  IHE  ^79' 

^>  OF  THE  A</ 


ORGANIZATION 


OF      THE 


FIRST   CHURCH   OF   CHRIST 


MANCHESTER,  CONN. 


Historical  ^bbrcsses 

By  Rev.  S.  W.  ROBBINS  and  Dea.  R.  R.  DIMOCK. 

SKETCHES  OF  MINISTERS  FROM  THE  PARISH, 

A     BRIHF      ACCOUNT     OF 

OTHER    CHURCH    ORGANIZATIONS,    CHURCH    EDIFICES,    AND 

PUBLIC    SCHOOLS;    ALSO    THE    NAMES    OF    THE 

ORIGINAL   PETITIONERS    FOR    THE 

Ecclesiastical    Society    of    Orford,     1772. 


HARTFORD,     CONN.: 

The  Case,  Lockwood  &  Brainard  Co.  Print. 

1880. 


,' 


Psalm  C,  2-5. 

2  Serve  the  Lord  with  gladness  :  come  before  his  presence  with  singing. 

3  Know  ye  that  the  Lord  he  is  God :  it  is  he  that  hath  made  us,  and  not 
we  ourselves;  we  are  his  people,  and  the  sheep  of  his  pasture. 

4  Enter  into  his  gates  with  thanksgiving,  and  into  his  courts  with  praise  : 
be  thankful  unto  him,  and  bless  his  name. 

5  For  the  Lord  is  good ;  his  mercy  is  everlasting ;  and  his  truth  endureth 
to  all  generations. 


I. 
INTRODUCTORY. 


The  first  week  in  December,  1879,  will  be  memorable  in 
the  annals  of  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  Manchester  as 
including  the  dedication  of  its  new  house  of  worship,  the 
celebration  of  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  church,  and  the  occupation  of  the  new  edifice  for 
the  first  time  for  public  worship  on  the  Sabbath.  The 
weather  was  delightful,  with  an  average  temperature  of  50 
degrees,  and  all  things  favored  the  assembling  of  large 
numbers  from  this  and  other  places  to  participate  in  the 
exercises. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  church  held  June  1,  1879,  ft  was  voted 
to  observe  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  on  the  29th  of  July, 
the  date  of  its  organization.  For  this  purpose  a  committee 
was  chosen  consisting  of  the  following  persons,  viz.  :  Rev. 
S.  W.  Robbins,  Dea.  R.  R.  Dimock,  Dea.  Francis  Bidwell, 
Aaron  Cook,  George  Bunce,  E.  A.  Bliss,  Ralph  Cone,  Chaun- 
cey  B.  Knox,  Charles  D.  Parsons,  James  R.  Pitkin,  Dr.  Oliver 
B.  Taylor,  Calvin  L.  Tracy,  and  Daniel  Wadsworth. 

As  a  matter  of  convenience,  it  was  afterwards  decided  to 
defer  the  public  observance  of  the  centennial  anniversary  till 
the  new  church  edifice  should  be  completed.  Accordingly, 
at  a  later  time,  the  dedication  was  appointed  to  take  place  on 
Wednesday  afternoon,  December  3d,  and  the  centennial  anni- 
versary on  Thursday  morning  and  afternoon,  December  4th. 

ORDER    OF    EXERCISES    AT    THE    DEDICATION. 

I.  Anthem  :  "  Praise  ye  the  mighty  God" — by  the  choir 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  James  Hutchison,  Miss  Mary  W. 
Cone  presiding  at  the  organ. 


2.  Selections  from  Psalms  cxxii  and  cxxxii  read  and 
prayer  offered  by  Rev.  N.  J.  Squires,  pastor  of  the  2d  Con- 
gregational Church. 

3.  Hymn  991,  read  by  Rev.  S.  Leader,  pastor  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  North  Manchester,  sung  by  the 
choir,  the  congregation  joining  : 

Oh,  bow  Thine  ear,  Eternal  One, 

On  Thee  our  heart  adoring  calls  ; 
To  Thee  the  followers  of  Thy  Son 

Have  raised  and  now  devote  these  walls. 

Here  let  Thy  holy  days  be  kept; 

And  be  this  place  to  worship  given, 
Like  that  bright  spot  where  Jacob  slept, 

The  house  of  God,  the  gate  of  heaven. 

Here  may  Thine  honor  dwell ;  and  here, 

As  incense,  let  Thy  children's  prayer, 
From  contrite  hearts  and  lips  sincere, 

Rise  on  the  still  and  holy  air. 

Here  be  Thy  praise  devoutly  sung ; 

Here  let  Thy  truth  beam  forth  to  save, 
As  when  of  old  Thy  Spirit  hung, 

On  wings  of  light,  o'er  Jordan's  wave. 

And  when  the  lips,  that  with  Thy  name 

Are  vocal  now,  to  dust  shall  turn, 
On  others  may  devotion's  flame 

Be  kindled  here,  and  purely  burn. 

4.  Sermon :  by  Rev.  Nathaniel  J.  Burton,  D.  D.,  pastor  of 
Park  Church,  Hartford,  from  1st  Timothy,  iii :  15 — "The 
church  of  the  living  God" — a  glowing  presentation  with  the 
preacher's  peculiar  power  of  the  truth,  The  church  is  God's. 

5.  Dedicatory  prayer:   by  Rev.  S.  W.  Robbins,  Pastor. 

6.  Anthem:  "Holy  Father,  hear  my  cry" — with  Dox- 
ology  :  "  Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." 

7.  Benediction  :  by  Rev.  Dr.  Burton. 


ORDER  OF  EXERCISES  AT  THE  ANNIVERSARY, 
Thursday,  Dec.  4th,  10.30  a.  "m. 

1 .  Anthem  :  "  Praise  the  Lord." 

2.  Selections  from  Psalms  cii  and  ciii  read  and  prayer 
offered  by  Rev.  H.  D.  Robinson,  pastor  of  M.  E.  Church, 
South  Manchester. 

3.  Hymn  1,151  : 

"  Glorious  things  of  Thee  are  spoken. 
Zion,  city  of  our  God." 

4.  Historical  Address  :  by  Rev.  S.  W.  Robbins. 

5.  Hymn  383: 

"  Upon  the  gospel's  sacred  page 

The  gathered  beams  of  ages  shine." 

6.  Historical  Address  :  by  Dea.  R.  R.  Dimock. 

7.  Hymn  1,292  : 

"  O  God,  beneath  Thy  guiding  hand 
Our  exiled  fathers  crossed  the  sea." 

RECESS COLLATION. 

At  12.30  p.  m.  a  collation  was  served  at  the  Town  Hall,  at 
which  Rev.  Dr.  Burton  invoked  the  divine  blessing  and  about 
five  hundred  persons  partook  of  the  entertainment  provided. 
The  arrangements  were  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  C.  B. 
Knox  and  Mrs.  J.  N.  Bissell,  with  a  large  corps  of  assistants, 
mostly  the  young  people  of  the  church  and  congregation. 

2  P.  M. PUBLIC  EXERCISES  RESUMED. 

1.  Hymn  229:  "  I  love  Thy  kingdom,  Lord." 

2.  Prayer :  by  Rev.  S.  B.  Forbes,  a  former  pastor. 

3.  A  paper  read  by  Rev.  S.  W.  Robbins,  giving  brief 
sketches  of  ministers  of  the  gospel  who  have  gone  from  the 
parish ;  followed  by  Rev.  S.  B.  Forbes  with  an  address  full  of 
feeling  and  pleasant  reminiscences  of  his  work  here. 

4.  A  paper  read  by  Dr.  O.  B.  Taylor,  giving  the  names  of 


the  deacons  of  the  church,  the  date  of  their  election,  decease, 
or  retirement  from  office,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  with 
various  explanatory  remarks  ;  followed  by  an  address  by  Bro. 
E.  A.  Bliss.  Communications  were  read  from  Rev.  Frederick 
T.  Perkins,  a  former  pastor,  Rev.  E.  W.  Cook,  Miss  Esther 
Cook,  Prof.  Chester  S.  Lyman,  Rev.  Rodolphus  Landfear, 
Rev.  Charles  Griswold,  Rev.  Frederick  Alvord,  Rev.  Ralph 
Perry,  and  Mr.  George  F.  Bissell. 

5.  Hymn  763  : 

"  Ye  servants  of  the  Lord, 
Each  in  His  service  wait." 

6.  The  former  members  of  the  church  now  engaged  in 
the  Master's  work  in  other  churches  were  represented  by 
Dea.  C.  D.  Talcott,  Dea.  James  B.  Williams,  Mr.  James 
Campbell,  and  Dea.  Horace  Pitkin  of  Philadelphia.  The 
addresses  of  these  brethren,  with  that  of  Bro.  E.  A.  Bliss, 
touched  all  hearts  by  their  grateful  reference  to  the  influence 
of  this  church  in  their  personal  history,  and  their  tribute  of 
honor  and  love  to  the  men  and  women  faithful  and  true  who 
here  served  their  generation  in  the  years  gone  by. 

7.  Addresses  were  made  by  the  pastors  of  the  neighboring 
churches  historically  related  to  this — Rev.  Austin  Gardner, 
pastor  of  the  church  in  Buckingham,  Rev.  S.  Leader,  Rev. 
H.  D.  Robinson,  and  Rev.  N.  J.  Squires. 

8.  Brief  remarks  were  made  by  the  pastor,  expressing 
thanks  to  God  and  to  those  present  for  this  joyful  occasion, 
requesting  the  prayers  of  all  for  the  continued  prosperity  and 
usefulness  of  this  church  in  the  years  to  come  and  in  behalf 
of  all  as  individuals  and  as  churches,  imploring  God's  faithful 
care  and  the  riches  of  His  grace  in  whatever  service  He  may 
yet  appoint. 

A  motion  was  then  made  by  Bro.  C.  L.  Tracy,  seconded 
by  Bro.  E.  A.  Bliss,  that  this  meeting  (including  this  church 
and  the  several  churches  which  have  participated  in  these 
exercises)  be  adjourned  till  the  next  centennial  anniversary, 
to  be  observed  in  the  year  1979. 

All  in  favor  of  this  motion  were  requested  to  signify  their 


assent  by  rising.  As  the  large  congregation  rose,  the 
unanimous  vote  was  declared,  the  choir  led  in  singing  the 
Doxology — "Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow"  — 
after  which  the  benediction  was  pronounced  by  Rev.  N.  J. 
Squires. 

About  five  hundred  persons  were  present  at  the  Dedica- 
tory services,  and  a  still  larger  number  attended  the  Anni- 
versary exercises  on  the  following  day,  including  friends  and 
former  members  of  the  church  from  a  distance  and  a  large 
representation  of  the  pastors  and  members  of  the  churches 
in  the  vicinity.  The  deep  and  prevailing  interest  of  the  occa- 
sion made  it  evident  that  the  one  want  was  that  of  more 
time,  especially  for  the  social  reunion  of  the  friends  of  the 
church  from  various  places,  for  renewing  friendships,  recalling 
past  scenes,  the  memories  of  honored  ones  who  now  rest 
from  their  labors,  and  the  good  influences  of  the  old  days 
which  have  cheered  life's  after  way. 

With  gratitude  to  Him  whose  favor  has  been  so  signally 
revealed  in  the  history  of  this  church,  we  fill  out  the  last  page 
in  the  record  of  the  century.  May  the  entry  which  we  pro- 
ceed to  make  as  we  turn  the  first  leaf  of  the  new  volume  be 
worthy  to  be  continued  till  the  last  page  is  filled  and  the 
record  of  another-  century  is  closed. 


II. 
HISTORICAL  ADDRESS. 


THE  CHURCH   AND  ITS  PASTORS. 

By  Rev.  S.  W.  Robbins,  Pastor. 

We  are  assembled  by  the  divine  favor  to  recall  the  past,  to 
rejoice  in  the  present,  to  take  hope  and  courage  for  the 
future,  and  for  all  His  mercies  to  render  devout  thanks  to  our 
covenant-keeping  God.  Standing  as  we  do  on  this  height  of 
the  century,  we  erect  our  Eben-ezer,  writing  against  the  years 
which  are  closing  behind  us,  The  riches  of  His  goodness  ; 
and  over  the  gateway  that  opens  still  before  us,  The  faithful- 
ness of  His  promise. 

The  century  which  we  review  to-day  falls  short  of  the 
middle  point  in  that  marvelous  retrospect  which  takes  in  the 
formation  of  the  early  churches  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecti- 
cut. When  this  church  was  organized  on  the  29th  of  July, 
1779,  there  were  183  churches  of  the  Congregational  order 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  Commonwealth.  Of  these, 
22  were  already  rejoicing  in  the  history  of  a  hundred  years, 
and  14  were  far  advanced  in  the  first  half  of  their  second 
century.  This  church,  therefore,  in  its  beginning  was  not  a 
frontier  church.  The  perils  of  the  wilderness  and  the  savage 
foe  had  not  to  be  encountered.  The  days  when  the  drum- 
beat called  the  worshipers  to  the  house  of  God  and  armed 
men  guarded  without,  belong  to  an  earlier  period  in  the  his- 
tory of  New  England.  Here,  in  the  eastern  section  of  what 
was  then  and  until  1783  the  town  of  Hartford,  East  Hartford 
Society,  was  a  quiet  rural  region,  into  which  the  settlers  came 
slowly  on  account  of  its  distance  on  one  side  from  the  points 


of  settlement  on  the  river  and  on  the  other  from  the  towns 
already  settled  on  the  east.  Those  were  days  when  rapid 
growth  as  well  as  rapid  transit,  in  the  modern  sense,  was 
unknown  anywhere.  This  is  why  this  church  to-day  is  in  a 
neighborhood  of  churches  with  few  exceptions  older  than 
itself.  These  churches,  blest  as  they  were  with  able  and 
godly  ministers,  gave  to  this  a  cheering  welcome  at  the  first. 
Their  prayers,  sympathies,  and  wise  counsels  were  its  support 
in  times  of  weakness  and  trial,  its  encouragement  to  fidelity 
in  its  strength  and  prosperity.  The  record  of  this  fellowship 
awakens  love  and  gratitude  to-day  and  gives  brightness  to 
the  review  as  we  glance  backward  along  the  years. 

Of  these  churches  with  their  ministers  we  may  name  here 
Hartford  ist,  Rev.  Nathan  Strong,  D.  D.,  pastor,  1 774-1816; 
Hartford  2d,  vacant  in  1779  but  subsequently  under  the 
pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Abel  Flint,  D.  D.,  1 788-1 825  ;  Glaston- 
bury 1  st,  John  Eells,  175 9-1 791  ;  Glastonbury  2d  (Buck- 
ingham), James  Eells,  1 769-1 805  ;  Bolton,  George  Colton, 
1763-1812;  East  Windsor,  Thomas  Potwine,  1754-1802  ; 
Vernon  (North  B.),  Ebenezer  Kellogg,  1762-1817;  South 
Windsor  (E.  W.  2d),  Joseph  Perry,  175  5- 1783  ;  East  Hart- 
ford, Eliphalet  Williams,  1 748-1 803  ;  Enfield,  Nehemiah 
Prudden,   1 782-1 81 5. 

For  a  considerable  time  after  the  earliest  settlement,  which 
took  place  about  1740,  the  inhabitants  of  this  locality  were 
dependent  for  their  religious  privileges  on  the  neighboring 
churches,  chiefly  those  in  East  Hartford  and  Bolton.  Dis- 
tance was  less  considered  then  than  now.  Men  and  women 
knew  how  to  go  on  foot  as  well  as  to  ride  on  horseback,  and 
horses  were  accustomed  to  more  than  a  single  rider,  especially 
on  Sundays.  The  church  afar  off  did  not  signify  Sabbath- 
breaking  and  irreligion  on  the  part  of  the  people.  In  addition 
to  the  benefits  derived  by  special  effort  from  the  public  ser- 
vices of  the  less  distant  churches,  the  ministers  of  those 
churches  favored  the  people  with  occasional  services  here. 
Christian  homes  were  open  for  social  worship.  Parental 
instruction,  using  faithfully  the  bible  and  the  catechism,  im- 
pressing divine  truth  by  example  as  well  as  precept,  was  a 
2 


IO 

strong  power  in  those  days,  supplementing  and  enforcing  the 
teaching  of  the  pulpit.  Where  the  latter  was  to  a  great  extent 
wanting,  the  home  power  was  still  exercised,  applying  the 
truth  to  the  conscience  and  the  life,  especially  of  the  young, 
and  causing  the  authority  of  God  not  to  lose  hold  of  the 
moral  sense  of  the  people. 

At  length  the  time  came  with  the  increase  of  the  number 
of  inhabitants  when,  by  the  consent  of  the  parish  of  East 
Hartford  public  preaching  services  were  held  during  part  of 
the  year,  including  the  winter  months,  a  percentage  of  the 
tax  received  for  the  support  of  the  gospel  in  the  East  Hart- 
ford Society  being  allowed  the  people  here  for  maintaining 
public  worship.  In  May,  1772,  seven  years  before  the  organ- 
ization of  the  church,  the  Ecclesiastical  Society  was  estab- 
lished by  the  General  Court,  and  named  the  Ecclesiastical 
Society  of  Orford.  This  name,  formed  from  the  last  syllables 
of  Windsor  and  Hartford,  had  been  applied  to  this  locality 
from  an  early  day,  and  continued  to  designate  it  till  it  became 
a  town  and  took  its  present  name  in  1823. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  1779,  eighteen  persons  who  had 
prayerfully  considered  the  duty  before  them  and  the  respon- 
sibility they  were  about  to  assume,  having  provided  a  fitting 
form  of  words  to  express  their  religious  faith  and  their  rela- 
tions to  one  another,  assembled  for  the  public  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  covenant  and  formal  incorporation  "  in  Evan- 
gelical Church  State."  The  church  thus  formed  was  then 
the  fifth  in  the  town  of  Hartford,  later  the  second  in  East 
Hartford,  and  later  still  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  Man- 
chester. 

The  following  is  the 

Original  Covenant. 

We  whose  names  are  underwritten,  members  of  different 
churches,  desirous  to  embody  and  incorporate  ourselves  in 
evangelical  church  state,  being  now  assembled  in  the  holy 
presence  of  God,  after  humble  acknowledgment  of  our  sin 
and  unworthiness  to  be  owned  for  the  Lord's  covenant  people 
and  our  own  inability  to  keep  covenant  with  God  without 


II 

divine  help,  and  being  sensible  that  it  is  an  awful  thing  to 
transact  with  the  great  God  ;  do,  in  humble  dependence  on 
his  gracious  assistance  and  acceptance  through  Christ,  each 
one  of  us  for  ourselves  and  jointly  as  a  Church  oLthe  living 
God,  and  one  with  another  in  manner  following,  that  is — We 
do  give  up  ourselves  to  that  God  whose  name  alone  is 
Jehovah,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  the  only  true  and 
living  God,  and  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  our  only  Saviour, 
Prophet,  Priest,  and  King  of  our  souls,  and  only  Mediator  of 
the  covenant  of  Grace,  promising  by  the  help  of  his  Spirit  to 
cleave  unto  God  as  our  chief  good,  and  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  by  faith,  and  a  Gospel  obedience  as  becometh  his  cov- 
enant people  for  ever.  We  do  also  give  up  our  offspring  unto 
God  in  Jesus  Christ,  avouching  the  Lord  to  be  our  God,  and 
the  God  of  our  children,  and  ourselves  with  our  children  to 
be  his  people ;  humbly  adoring  the  divine  grace  that  we  and 
our  offspring  with  us  may  be  looked  upon  to  be  the  Lord's. 
We  do  also  give  up  ourselves  to  one  another  in  the  Lord, 
and  according  to  the  will  of  God,  freely  covenanting  and 
binding  ourselves  to  walk  together  as  a  right  ordered  Con- 
gregation and  Church  of  Christ  in  all  the  ways  of  his  worship 
according  to  the  holy  rules  of  the  word  of  God  (the  sure  and 
infallible  rule  of  faith  and  practice),  promising  in  brotherly 
love  to  watch  over  one  another's  souls,  faithfully  discharging 
all  covenant  duties  to  one  another  in  Church  Communion, 
and  to  submit  ourselves  unto  the  discipline  and  government 
of  Christ  in  his  Church,  and  duly  to  attend  all  the  Ordinances 
which  Christ  has  instituted  in  his  Church  according  to  the 
order  of  the  Gospel. 

This  covenant  was  read  by  Rev.  James  Eells,  and  assented 
to  by  the  individuals  here  named : 

ORIGINAL    MEMBERS. 

Richard  Keeney,  Benjamin  Mann, 

Thomas  Trill,  Joseph  Sweatland, 

Silas  Spencer,  Elijah  Peck, 

Joseph  Symonds,  Stephen  Cone, 

Solomon  Gillman,  Seth  Talcott, 


12 

Daniel  Sweatland,  Elias  Skinner, 

Joseph  Benton,  Josiah  Olcott,  Jr., 

Jabez  Dart,  Esther  Bidwell, 

David  Damon,  Sarah  Sweatland. 

Of  the  persons  above  mentioned  a  few  are  recognized  as 
ancestors  of  individuals  now  living  and  active  among  us.  Of 
most  of  them,  however,  little  is  at  present  known.  The 
exercises  on  the  occasion  took  place  in  the  old  meeting-house 
as  it  was  called  in  later  years — a  small  one-story  building 
formerly  used  as  a  dwelling-house,  and  situated  under  the 
oak  trees  about  eight  rods  east  of  the  present  church  edifice. 
This  meeting-house  was  used  for  occasional  worship  and  for 
regular  worship  during  part  of  the  year  for  a  considerable 
time  previous  to  the  formation  of  the  church.  At  that  time 
the  Ecclesiastical  Society  had  been  engaged  for  several  years 
in  plans  and  efforts  for  locating 'and  building  another  house 
of  worship,  a  more  particular  account  of  which  will  be  given 
in  another  paper. 

Rev.  Benajah  Phelps. 

The  first  pastor  of  the  church  was  Rev.  Benajah  Phelps, 
who  was  invited  to  settle  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  in 
March,  1780.  He  soon  after  accepted  the  invitation,  but  his 
formal  settlement  did  not  take  place  till  the  following  year, 
1 78 1.  To  our  great  regret  we  have  no  record  either  of  his 
installation  or  his  pastoral  work.  The  call  which  was 
extended  to  him  and  his  letter  of  acceptance  are  preserved. 
Besides  these  we  have  only  the  minutes  of  the  council  con- 
vened to  act  with  reference  to  his  dismission,  which  took 
place  June  19,  1793,  closing  a  ministry  of  thirteen  years. 
This  council,  the  first  in  the  history  of  the  church  of  which 
the  records  are  preserved,  was  composed  of  the  following 
churches  represented  by  their  pastors  and  delegates  : 

Hebron  2d  church,  Rev.  Elijah  Lathrop,  Moderator, 

Dea.  Jabez  Ellis. 
North  Bolton  (Vernon),       Rev.  Ebenezer  Kellogg, 

Dea.  Elisha  Ladd. 


*3 


Coventry  (South), 
Glastonbury  2d  (Buck'am) 

Lebanon  2d  (Columbia), 

East  Windsor  2d 

(So.  Windsor), 

Marlborough, 

Enfield, 

Hartford  2d. 


Rev.  Joseph  Huntington,  D.D. 
Benajah  Strong,  Esq. 
Rev.  James  Eells, 
Dea.  Elisha  Hollister, 

Rev.  Thomas  Brockway, 
Dea.  Wadsworth  Brewster. 

Rev.  David  MeClurc, 
William  Wolcott,  Esq. 
Rev.  David  Huntington, 
Dea.  David  Skinner. 
Rev.  Nehemiah  Prudden, 
Mr.  Joseph  Kingsbury. 
Rev.  Abel  Flint, 
Mr.  John  Babcock. 


Mr.  Phelps  was  born  in  Hebron,  Conn.,  March  30,  1737. 
He  was  the  third  of  four  children  of  Nathaniel  Phelps,  Jr., 
and  his  wife  Mary  (Curtis)  Phelps.  He  was  four  years 
younger  than  Dr.  Benjamin  Trumbull,  a  native  of  the  same 
town,  author  of  the  History  of  Connecticut,  and  pastor  for 
sixty  years  of  the  church  in  North  Haven  ;  five  years  younger 
than  Oliver  Noble,  also  a  native  of  Hebron,  and  for  some 
time  pastor  of  the  church  in  Coventry.  He  was  graduated 
at  Yale  College  in  1761.  Four  years  afterwards  he  went  as 
a  missionary  to  the  province  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  entered 
upon  the  work  of  the  ministry  at  Cornwallis  in  1765  Here 
he  continued,  happy  and  successful  in  his  gospel  work,  till 
1778.  At  that  time,  amid  the  increasing  excitement  attend- 
ing the  war  of  the  Revolution,  Mr.  Phelps  began  to  suffer 
on  account  of  his  patriotic  sentiments.  He  was  put  to  the 
alternative  of  leaving  the  province  or  taking  an  oath  to  take 
up  arms  and  fight  against  his  native  country.  Absolutely 
refusing  the  latter  course,  he  was  treated  by  the  officers  of 
the  British  government  with  the  greatest  insults,  and  threat- 
ened to  be  carried  to  England  to  suffer  death  as  a  rebel.  He 
found  means  to  escape  with  about  three  hundred  pounds 
value  in  effects,  leaving  about  five  hundred  pounds  to  be  for- 


14 

feited  to  the  king,  and  came  to  Boston,  leaving  his  family  in 
Nova  Scotia.  Having  obtained  a  permit  to  go  back  for  his 
family,  he  was  taken  by  a  British  man-of-war,  and  after  some 
time  was  with  a  number  of  others  put  on  board  a  boat  about 
fourteen  miles  from  land,  in  very  rough  weather,  and  left  to 
the  mercy  of  the  seas,  but  arrived  at  Machias,  and  never 
returned  to  Nova  Scotia.  In  1780  his  family  came  to  him 
at  Boston,  and  it  took  nearly  all  his  available  means  to  pay 
the  cost  of  their  removal  to  this  State. 

In  the  reduced  circumstances  which  thus  attended  the 
beginning  of  his  ministry  in  this  place,  Mr.  Phelps  presented 
a  memorial  to  the  General  Assembly,  setting  forth  his  trials 
and  losses,  together  with  the  inability  of  the  people  of  his 
new  parish,  pressed  by  the  burden  of  public  expense  as  well 
as  that  of  building  a  new  meeting-house,  to  furnish  the  assist- 
ance he  needed,  and  praying  that  honorable  body  to  take  his 
pitiable  case  into  consideration  and  grant  such  relief  as  they 
should  see  cause  as  a  charitable  compensation  for  his  losses. 
The  memorial  was  favorably  received,  and  a  grant  was  made 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 

When  and  where  Mr.  Phelps  was  ordained,  and  by  what 
means  he  was  supported  in  the  early  stages  of  his  missionary 
work,  are  questions  concerning  which  we  have  no  definite 
information.  David  McClure,  about  ten  years  younger  than 
he,  and  subsequently  pastor  of  the  church  in  South  Windsor, 
was  ordained  in  1772  to  go  on  a  mission  to  the  Delaware 
Indians,  to  be  sustained  by  the  society  in  Scotland  for  the 
propagation  of  the  gospel.  We  have  a  strong  conviction 
that  Dr.  Eleazer  Wheelock,  pastor  of  the  church  at  Lebanon 
Crank,  who  had  not  yet  removed  to  New  Hampshire,  noted 
for  his  service  in  educating  young  men  for  the  ministry,  at 
the  same  time  furnishing  them  employment  as  teachers  in 
the  Indian  Charity  School  of  which  he  was  the  head,  had  an 
important  relation  to  Mr.  Phelps's  early  labors  as  a  Christian 
minister ;  also  that  either  the  society  above  named,  or  the 
London  Society  which  sustained  Jonathan  Edwards  at  Stock- 
bridge,  had  an  equally  important  relation  to  his  missionary 
work.     His  home  was  not  removed  from  this  place  on  the 


i5 

termination  of  his  pastoral  relation.  Here  he  passed  his  last 
days  and  died  February  10,  1817,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine — 
fifty-six  years  from  the  date  of  his  graduation,  thirty-seven 
years  from  the  beginning  and  twenty-four  years  from  the 
close  of  his  ministry  with  this  church.  He  was  married  to 
Miss  Phebe  Denison  of  New  Haven.  To  them  were  born 
seven  children,  of  whom  five — one  son  and  four  daughters — 
lived  to  adult  years.  He  was  buried  in  the  East  Cemetery, 
where  rest  the  remains  of  his  wife,  who  died  March,  18 16. 
Here  also  were  buried  three  children,  Sally,  an  unmarried 
daughter,  who  died  October  15,  1875,  aged  91  ;  Eunice,' who 
became  the  wife  of  James  Foster,  and  who  died  May  29,  1850, 
aged  74  ;  and  Ralph  R.  Phelps,  the  youngest  of  the  family, 
born  during  his  father's  pastorate  here,  who  passed  a  long  life 
in  this  his  native  town,  devoted  to  the  legal  profession  and 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  concerned  for  the  various  interests 
of  the  church,  the  community,  and  the  commonwealth,  and 
who  died  February  26,  1874,  aged  Sy. 

Rev.  Salmon  King. 

The  second  pastor  of  the  church,  Rev.  Salmon  King,  son 
of  Gideon  and  Charity  (Tucker)  King,  was  born  in  Vernon — 
then  a  part  of  Bolton — October  4,  1771.  He  was  graduated 
at  Yale  College  in  1796;  made  a  public  profession  of  religion 
in  1797  ;  was  licensed  to  preach  April  1 1,  1798  ;  was  ordained 
and  settled  here  November  5,  1800,  and  was  dismissed  Octo- 
ber 25,  1808.  He  was  subsequently  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  in  Greensboro,  Vt,  July  n,  1810-January  26, 
1 8 14.  Removing  from  Vermont,  he  began  labor  in  Warren, 
Bradford  Co.,  Penn.,  where  he  gathered  a  church  with  which 
his  ministry  was  continued  for  twenty-five  years,  until  his 
death,  April  15,  1839,  at  tne  aSe  °f  68. 

At  the  ordination  of  Mr.  King,  Rev.  Charles  Backus  of 
Somers,  was  Moderator  of  the  Council,  and  Rev.  Jonathan 
Miller  of  Bristol  (Burlington),  Scribe.  The  public  exercises 
took  place  after  the  following  order :  Introductory  Prayer, 
Rev.  Mr.  Miller ;  Sermon,  Rev.  Mr.  Backus  ;  Consecrating 
Prayer,  Rev.  George  Colton  ;  Charge  to  Pastor,  Rev.  Eben- 


i6 

ezer  Kellogg ;  Right  Hand  of  Fellowship,  Rev.  David 
McClure  ;  Concluding  Prayer,  Rev.  Jeremiah  Hallock.  The 
minutes  of  the  Council  close  with  the  record  that  "Agreeable 
to  the  foregoing  arrangements,  on  the  5th  day  of  November, 

1800,  Mr.  Salmon  King  was  ordained  over  the  Church  of 
Christ  in  Orford  in  the  presence  of  a  large,  respectable,  and 
attentive  assembly." 

Mr.  King  was  thrice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Mary 
Isham  of  Marlborough,  to  whom  he  was  united  February  18, 

1 80 1,  and  who  died  January  1,  1807.  A  publication  contain- 
ing two  sermons  of  Mr.  King,  one  preached  the  Sabbath 
after  his  ordination,  the  other  the  Sabbath  after  his  dismission, 
has  an  "  Appendix,  containing  Memoirs  of  Mrs.  King,  late 
consort  of  the  Rev.  Salmon  King,"  written  by  another  hand," 
which  represents  her  as  a  person  of  amiable  disposition,  good 
natural  and  acquired  accomplishments,  and  eminently  quali- 
fied for  the  station  in  which  Providence  placed  her;  a  woman 
of  thoughtful  mind,  deep  spiritual  experience,  and  earnest 
Christian  life.  Her  grave  is  in  the  East  Cemetery,  a  few  feet 
from  the  entrance,  where  all  who  choose  may  read  her  epitaph. 

The  second  wife  of  Mr.  King  was  Mary  Ames  of  Wethers- 
field,  who  died  September  15,  1821.  His  third  wife  was 
Mrs.  Eunice  Talmadge  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  who  survived  him 
six  years.  He  had  seven  children,  two  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  lived  to  mature  years  and  were  members  of 
the  visible  church  of  Christ.  A  son  and  daughter  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  daughter  in  Bristol,  Conn.,  still  survive. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  King's  removal  to  Pennsylvania  the 
northern  part  of  the  State  was  sparsely  settled,  and  the 
pastor  shared  with  his  people  the  inconvenience  of  a  home 
in  the  wilderness.  There  were  no  roads,  and  wheel-vehicles 
were  curiosities.  On  alternate  Sabbaths  the  pastor  rode  ten 
miles  on  horseback,  the  way  being  indicated  by  marked  trees, 
to  preach  in  another  town.  From  the  two  towns  a  church 
of  eight  members  was  gathered,  and  services  were  held  first 
in  a  log  school-house,  then  in  a  frame  school-house,  until 
finally  a  church  was  erected  in  which  he  continued  to  min- 
ister until  called  to  a  better  country.    An  address  by  a  pastor 


i7 

in  Warren,  containing  reminiscences  of  the  early  history  of 
that  church  and  from  which  we  gather  these  facts,  speaks  of 
Mr.  King  as  a  plain,  primitive  man,  somewhat  eccentric.  His 
talents,  piety,  and  worth  placed  him  on  an  eminence.  He 
was  remarkable  in  particular  for  his  prompt  performance  of 
duty.  No  weather  kept  him  from  the  place  of  meeting.  He 
would  sometimes  remark,  after  a  stormy  Sabbath,  "We  had 
a  good  meeting."  "  Who  were  there  ? "  "  The  Lord  and  Mr. 
King."  Even  when  enfeebled  by  his  last  sickness  he  desired 
to  be  carried  to  the  church,  that  he  might  once  more  stand 
up  in  his  place  and  speak  in  the  name  of  Christ.  His  labors 
continued  thus  to  the  end  of  life  were  rewarded  with  a  good 
measure  of  success.  His  tombstone  bears  these  lines,  which 
were  found  among  his  papers  : 

"  In  yonder  sacred  house  I  spent  my  breath, 
Now  silent  mouldering  here  I  lie  in  death  ; 
These  silent  lips  shall  wake  and  yet  declare 
A  dread  amen  to  truths  they  published  there." 

Calling  back  your  thoughts  from  the  forests  of  Pennsylva- 
nia to  Orford,  from  the  grave  of  Mr.  King  to  the  beginning  of 
his  ministry,  let  us  observe  that  at  that  time  the  church  had 
been  seven  years  without  a  settled  pastor.  The  ministerial 
service  it  had  received  had  been  miscellaneous  and  irregular. 
There  were  as  yet  but  twenty-eight  members,  a  gain  of  only 
ten  in  the  twenty-one  years  since  its  organization.  Of  the 
original  number  three  still  appear  on  the  roll,  Silas  Spencer, 
Joseph  Benton,  Elias  Skinner.  Among  others,  at  this  time 
we  find  the  names  of  Dea.  Ebenezer  Bryant,  Dea.  Joseph 
Lyman,  and  Doct.  George  Griswold,  taking  an  active  part  in 
the  affairs  of  the  church. 

Rev.  Elisha  B.  Cook. 

After  the  dismission  of  Mr.  King  there  was  again  an  inter- 
val of  over  five  years  during  which  the  church  was  without  a 
pastor,  and  for  not  a  little  of  that  time  without  preaching  or 
public  service,  when  with  great  unanimity  a  call  was  extended 
to  Mr.  Elisha  B.  Cook  to  become  the  pastor.  He  accepted 
the  invitation,  and  was  ordained  March  3,  1814.  On  this 
3 


1 8 

occasion  Rev.  T.  M.  Cooley,  D.  D.,  of  Granville,  Mass., 
preached  from  Heb.  xiii :  17,  "They  watch  for  souls  as  they 
that  must  give  account."  Other  parts  in  the  service  were — 
consecrating  prayer,  Rev.  Nehemiah  Prudden,  Enfield ; 
charge,  Rev.  Abel  Flint,  Hartford  ;  right  hand  of  fellowship, 
Rev.  Andrew  Yates,  East  Hartford  ;  concluding  prayer,  Rev. 
Thomas  Robbins,  East  Windsor.  It  is  recorded  that  "A 
numerous  audience  conducting  with  great  decorum  evinced 
their  approbation  of  the  performances  by  a  solemn  and 
respectful  attention.  The  pleasing  union  of  this  church  and 
society,  with  their  earnest  exertion  for  the  enjoyment  of 
gospel  institutions,  affords  an  encouraging  prospect  to  the 
pastor  and  people,  and  may  animate  the  hopes  of  the  friends 
of  Zion." 

The  settlement  of  Mr.  Cook  marks  a  turning  point  in  the 
history  of  the  church,  introducing  an  era  of  prosperity  and 
progress  unknown  before.  Thirty-four  years  had  passed — 
years  of  slow  growth,  and  at  times  amid  many  discourage- 
ments. The  intervals  between  the  pastorates  thus  far 
amounted  to  thirteen  years,  during  which  there  was  no  shep- 
herd to  watch  over  the  flock  ;  while  in  the  sixty  years  which 
have  since  elapsed  the  vacancies  include  less  than  five  years. 
The  work  of  the  church  was  begun  three  years  after  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  amid  the  struggles  and  distractions 
of  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  The  years  immediately  following 
were  characterized  by  no  special  revival  influences  in  the  land. 
The  state  of  religion  in  the  churches  was  low.  Great  burdens 
were  upon  the  people.  Important  problems  were  before  the 
country  in  the  organization  of  the  national  government  and 
the  adjustment  of  its  finances.  The  tendency  to  unbelief 
was  strong,  wide-spread,  and  progressive,  fostered  by  the 
demoralizing  influences  of  the  war  at  home  and  the  inroads 
of  infidelity  from  abroad. 

While  the  churches  were  affected  by  the  state  of  things 
without,  they  suffered  also  in  many  cases  from  occasions  of 
evil  within  themselves.  In  seeking  an  insight  into  the  spir- 
itual condition  of  this  church  at  the  time  under  review,  it 
should  be  observed  that  at  its  formation  the  half-way  covenant, 


f9 

so  called,  was  adopted,  in  accordance  with  which  the  privilege 
of  baptism  for  themselves  and  their  children  was  granted  to 
those  who  desired  it — a  relation  of  membership  being  allowed 
without  requiring  a  profession  of  regeneration  and  participa- 
tion in  the  ordinance  of  the  Lord's  supper.  This  practice, 
which  widely  prevailed  in  New  England  in  the  early  part  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  began  to  be  discountenanced  and  set 
aside  before  the  powerful  influence  of  the  great  awakening 
which,  beginning  about  1740,  affected  to  a  remarkable  degree 
the  spirit  and  practice  of  the  churches  during  the  last  half 
of  the  century.  In  this  church  the  change  did  not  take  place 
tiil  1800.  In  that  year,  Sept.  24th  and  25th,  an  important 
meeting  was  held,  at  which  Dr.  Nathan  Strong  presided,  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  action  with  reference  to  the  conditions 
of  membership,  and  also  of  concurring  with  the  action  of  the 
Ecclesiastical  Society,  which  had  already  extended  a  call  to 
Mr  King.  The  action  taken  at  this  meeting  was  prefaced 
with  the  following  preamble  and  question  : 

"  This  church,  being  one  of  the  Consociated  churches  of 
the  State  of  Connecticut,  and  being  convened  by  special  call 
to  prepare  the  way  for  the  settlement  of  the  Gospel  ministry, 
having  by  solemn  prayer  invoked  the  presence  and  blessing 
of  God,  took  into  consideration  the  following  question : 
Whether  it  be  fit  and  agreeable  to  the  laws  of  Christ  to  sep- 
arate the  ordinances  of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper." 
The  record  continues  :  "  Having  referred  back  to  the  original 
agreement  on  which  the  church  was  founded,  seriously  con- 
sidered the  subject  as  they  hope  with  reference  to  the  will  of 
Christ  and  their  own  duty  as  Christians  ;  also,  considering 
the  present  state  of  this  church  and  society,  passed  the  fol- 
lowing votes : 

Voted,  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  Church  that  no  persons 
in  future  shall  be  admitted  as  members  into  this  Church  to 
receive  baptism  for  themselves  or  their  children  without  giv- 
ing satisfactory  evidence  of  their  personal  qualification  as 
Christians  and  of  their  determination  to  attend  on  the  Sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  Supper."  By  the  other  votes  the  church 
concedes  to  a  number  of  covenanted  members  the  privilege 


20 

still  of  having  their  children  baptized,  but  at  the  same  time 
earnestly  requests  them  to  consider  their  solemn  covenant, 
and  anxiously  entreats  them  to  honor  God  in  the  celebration 
of  all  His  ordinances.  It  is  also  declared  that  when  such 
covenanted  members  shall  desire  to  come  to  the  Communion 
the  church  will  not  require  their  public  repetition  of  the  cov- 
enant, but  that  their  desire  be  made  known  to  the  pastor,  or 
in  his  absence  to  the  deacons,  who  shall  publish  it  to  the 
church  ;  and  if  within  a  specified  time  no  objection  to  their 
moral  or  Christian  character  be  made,  such  persons  shall  be 
considered  as  having  a  right  to  the  Communion,  and  shall 
also  have  a  right  to  vote  in  church  meetings  and  all  other 
privileges  equal  to  any  other  member.  This  action  was 
taken,  doubtless,  in  accordance  with  the  expressed  wish  of 
the  pastor-elect,  and  seems  to  have  been  made  a  condition  of 
his  accepting  the  invitation  to  settle  in  the  pastoral  office. 
It  indicates  a  strong  desire  on  the  part  of  the  church  to  re- 
move existing  hindrances  to  its  saving  work  and  to  secure 
for  the  future  a  deeper  spiritual  life.  In  view  of  the  circum- 
stances, therefore,  it  is  not  surprising  that  serious  obstacles 
to  the  spiritual  work  of  the  church  were  encountered,  and 
that  these,  at  times,  were  connected  especially  with  the  en- 
forcement of  discipline  in  the  endeavor  to  reclaim  erring 
members.  On  one  occasion  the  pastor  made  the  following 
statement  of  his  feelings  in  reference  to  this  matter  :  "  I  would 
here  place  on  record  the  great  goodness  of  God  in  being  with 
this  church  thus  far  in  her  difficulties,  and  the  harmony  and 
zeal  of  the  brethren  in  general.  In  these  dark  and  dismal 
days  we  stand  in  need  of  Thine  assistance,  O  Lord.  It  is  in 
vain  that  we  try  to  reform  each  other  unless  Thou  sanctify 
our  endeavors.  We  lament  our  wanderings  from  Thee ;  we 
ask  for  forgiveness,  and  pray  that  Thou  wouldst  pardon  us 
and  enable  us  to  attend  to  our  difficulties  without  prejudice 
in  the  fear  of  God.  Wilt  Thou  give  these  offenders  repent- 
ance ;  take  Thy  church  into  Thy  special  care  and  build  it  up 
in  the  faith  and  purity  of  the  gospel ;  pour  out  Thy  Spirit 
upon  us,  and  may  this  church  and  people  be  brought  to  re- 
pentance and  saved  from  impending  ruin,  and  prepared  for 


21 


Thy  glorious  kingdom  above.     But  not  our  will  but  Thine  be 
done." 

The  church  was  not  in  harmonious  condition  at  the  time 
of  Mr.  King's  removal,  and  in  the  years  immediately  follow- 
ing its    prospects  grew  more  disheartening.      Dr.   Thomas 
Robbins,  speaking  eighteen  years  afterwards  of  Mr.  Cook's 
settlement,  says  :  "  The  people  had  been  destitute  of  the  regu- 
lar ministration  of  gospel  ordinances  for  five  years.     For  a 
considerable  part  of  this  time  the  pulpit  was  not  supplied  ; 
various  divisions  and  unhappy  alienations  existed  ;  the  society 
had   become   very  much   reduced  ;  the  church  was  small ;  to 
the  faithful  friends  of  Zion  the  prospect  was  dark,  painful, 
and  gloomy.     Little  expectation  was  entertained  that  he,  or 
any  other  person,  could  soon  be  settled  here  in  the  work  of 
the   ministry."     "At  this   discouraging  period,"  Dr.  R.  con- 
tinues, "a  few  knew  that  there  was  help  on  high,  and  resolved 
not  to  despair.     When   the  meeting-house  had  been  closed 
for  a  considerable  time  and   there  was  no  public  worship  on 
the  Sabbath,  two  persons  agreed  together  that  they  would  go 
to  the  house  of  prayer  on  each  returning  Lord's  day,  and  if 
no  others  joined  them  unite  in  the  worship  of  the  living  God 
and  Saviour.     The  little  band  was  soon  increased  to  a  good 
number,  presenting  their  united  and  persevering  supplications 
to  a  prayer-hearing  God  that  He  would  remember  them  in 
their  low  estate,  for  His  mercy  endureth  for  ever.     The  grain 
of  mustard   seed   was   planted  ;  from   the  high   residence  of 
redeeming  glory  the  Angel  'of  the  Covenant  beheld   the  at- 
tempt ;  the  seed  was  watered   by  the  tear  of  his  love  ;    it 
sprouted  towards  heaven  and  soon  became  a  wide-spreading 
tree  bearing  the  fruits  of  a  Saviour's  mercy." 

It  is  interesting  thus  to  note  that  God  had  already  set  a 
light  here  by  these  special  efforts  of  his  praying  disciples 
which  at  once  cheered  the  heart  of  the  young  minister  on  his 
coming  among  them.  He  in  turn  gave  comfort  and  strength 
to  them.  His  words  were  with  power  ;  new  interest  was 
awakened  in  divine  worship,  alienations  and  prejudices  were 
obliterated.  The  impressions  produced  by  the  earnestness 
and   devotion  of  the  preacher  led   to  large  and  important 


22 

accessions  to  the  society,  and  they  proceeded  at  once  to  in- 
vite Mr.  Cook  to  settle  with  them,  with  a  liberal  provision 
for  his  support — a  step  which  would  have  been  regarded  im- 
possible a  short  time  before.  When  the  day  of  ordination 
came  it  was  said  that  "  many  could  hardly  believe  their  senses 
when,  they  contemplated  the  change  effected  by  the  good 
providence  of  God  in  a  few  months." 

The  hopes  entertained  at  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Cook's  min- 
istry were  abundantly  realized.  A  work  of  grace  soon  after 
began  which  was  characterized  as  "great,  powerful,  and  rapid, 
such  as  has  been  but  seldom  witnessed.  It  overspread  the 
society  ;  no  class  of  people  were  passed  by  ;  an  uninterested 
beholder  could  scarcely  be  found.  In  a  few  months  many 
were  rejoicing  in  hope.  As  the  fruits  of  this  work  about  one 
hundred  members  were  added  to  the  church."  Again,  in 
1821,  the  society  was  a  sharer  in  the  great  work  of  grace  in 
this  vicinity  and  throughout  the  State,  from  which  about  fifty 
were  added  to  the  church.  Besides  these  special  visitations 
of  the  Spirit,  God  was  with  His  people  by  His  saving  power 
from  year  to  year.  Though  not  every  year  was  one  of  in- 
crease there  were  added  in  all,  during  Mr.  Cook's  ministry, 
one  hundred  and  ninety-nine. 

In  the  midst  of  his  prosperity  and  usefulness  his  career 
was  terminated  by  sudden  and  unexpected  death.  He  was 
drowned  in  a  deep  place  in  the  small  stream,  about  eighty 
rods  above  the  bridge,  in  the  rear  of  this  church.  In  the 
haying  season  he  had  been  in  the  field  assisting  his  neighbor 
and  friend,  R.  R.  Phelps,  Esq.  Mr.  Phelps  was  driving  home 
with  the  load,  and  Mr.  Cook,  taking  a  different  direction,  was 
crossing  the  stream  on  a  log  where  he  had  crossed  repeatedly 
the  same  day.  He  had  passed  over,  as  is  supposed,  and  in 
attempting  to  ascend  the  bank,  two  or  three  feet  perpendicu- 
lar, took  hold  of  a  post  which,  being  unsupported,  fell  with 
him  into  the  water.  A  small  contusion  on  his  right  temple 
indicated  that  he  either  struck  the  log  or  was  struck  by  the 
post  in  falling.  Life  was  extinct  when  he  was  taken  up, 
though  it  is  stated  that  he  could  not  have  been  in  the  water 
more  than  two  or  three  minutes.     Particulars  of   the  sad 


event  were  published  and  widely  circulated  at  the  time.  A 
very  deep  impression  was  made  upon  this  and  the  commu- 
nities round  about.  His  people  were  overwhelmed  with 
sorrow  at  their  great  bereavement.  His  funeral  solemnities 
were  attended  by  a  large  assembly,  including  many  of  his 
brethren  in  the  ministry  and  people  from  the  neighboring 
towns.  Dr.  Thomas  Robbins  preached  the  sermon,  which 
was  a  loving  tribute  to  the  excellent  qualities  of  the  departed 
servant  of  God,  a  message  of  sympathy  and  consolation  to 
the  bereaved — his  widow  and  children,  his  parents  and  breth- 
ren, his  stricken  and  sorrowing  people.  A  minute  appears 
in  the  obituary  record  of  the  church  in  the  handwriting  of 
the  friend  to  whom  his  last  earthly  service  was  rendered, 
from  which,  in  connection  with  the  peculiar  circumstances  of 
his  decease,  we  read  :  "  In  activity,  zeal,  and  faithfulness,  as 
well  as  in  the  success  of  his  ministry,  he  has  been  very  rarely 
surpassed.  As  a  Christian  he  was  ardent  and  zealous  ;  as  a 
man  he  was  amiable,  and  as  a  neighbor  he  was  kind  and 
obliging  in  an  unusual  degree,  and  to  this  last  trait  of  char- 
acter he  owed  his  death — he  fell  while  in  the  act  of  assisting 
his  friend." 

Mr.  Cook  was  born  in  Otis,  Mass.,  April  28,  1787  ;  was 
graduated  at  Yale  College  in  181 1;  studied  theology  with 
Rev.  Dr.  Yates  ;  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Association 
of  Berkshire  ;  became  the  pastor  of  this  church  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven;  and  on  the  11th  of  July,  1823,  in  the  full 
strength  of  his  young  manhood,  rested  from  his  labors,  after 
a  ministry  of  nine  years,  aged  thirty-six.  He  was  a  careful 
student  as  well  as  an  earnest  Christian  and  devoted  pastor. 
A  small  volume  was  published  by  him,  entitled,  "  Testimony 
of  God  on  some  important  doctrines  of  Revelation,  to  which 
is  annexed  a  Bible  Creed,"  which  showed  his  extensive  and 
accurate  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  and  his  strong  love  for 
the  truths  which  they  teach.  The  work,  which  was  chiefly  a 
compilation  and  arrangement  of  texts  bearing  on  the  important 
doctrines  of  Revelation,  at  the  request  of  leading  ministers  of 
the  State,  Dr.  Chapin,  Dr.  Hawes,  Dr.  Moses  Cook  Welch, 
and  others,  was   revised  and   enlarged   in  a  second  edition, 


24 

which  was  his  last  literary  work,  having  been  completed  the 
day  preceding  his  death. 

Traditions  of  Mr.  Cook  represent  him  as  a  man  of  very 
genial,  cheerful  spirit ;  of  small  stature  but  of  intense  physical 
activity,  capable,  it  was  said,  of  visiting  the  entire  parish  in 
half  a  day — a  statement  in  which  ministers  of  the  present 
time  will  see  as  much  of  hyperbole  as  may  be  needful  for 
their  special  comfort ;  of  exceedingly  quick  and  tenacious 
memory,  so  that  he  could  write  a  sermon  and,  after  once  read- 
ing, preach  it  verbatim  without  manuscript ;  of  a  remarkably 
unsectarian  spirit  at  a  time  when  this  virtue  was  rarer  than 
now.  "  In  proof  of  this,"  says  his  son  now  living,  "  I  remem- 
ber standing  on  the  timbers  of  the  Methodist  church  just 
about  to  be  erected  only  a  few  rods  from  his  own,  and  that 
he  held  my  hand  within  his  while  offering  a  fervent  prayer 
for  the  success  of  the  enterprise." 

Mr.  Cook  was  married,  March  3,  1815,  to  Esther  Hills 
Woodbridge  of  this  parish,  who  died  December  25,  18 16. 
His  second  wife  was  Harriet  Sweatland  of  Hartford,  who 
subsequently  became  the  wife  of  Moses  Talcott  of  Marl- 
borough. Two  children  are  now  living,  Harriet  Esther  Cook 
and  Rev.  Elisha  Woodbridge  Cook,  who  was  born  July  28, 
1816;  was  graduated  at  Yale  College,  1837;  at  Yale  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  1845  5  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Congre- 
gational church  in  Haddam,  Conn.,  November  18,  1846,  and 
has  labored  since  in  various  places  in  the  ministry  of  the 
Congregational  church. 

Rev.  Enoch  Burt. 

Rev.  Enoch  Burt,  the  fourth  pastor,  was  installed  July  1, 
1824.  He  was  born  in  South  Wilbraham,  Mass.,  October  26, 
1779.  A  Part  °f  his  early  life  was  spent  in  Springfield  and 
Hartford.  In  the  latter  city  he  made  a  profession  of  religion, 
and  became  a  member  of  the  Center  church.  He  was  grad- 
uated at  the  College  of  New  Jersey  in  1805,  and  studied 
theology  at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary.  At  a  meeting 
of  the  Association  of  the  Eastern  District  of  Fairfield  County, 
convened  at  Stratford,  May  31,  1808,  an  application  was  made 


25 

by  Dr.  Nathan  Perkins  and  Rev.  Calvin  Chapin,  from  the 
Committee  of  Missions  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Missionary 
Society  of  Connecticut,  requesting  the  Association  in  behalf 
of  said  Trustees  (should  they  see  fit)  to  ordain  Mr.  Enoch 
Burt,  a  licentiate  from  the  County  of  Hampshire,  Mass.,  to 
the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry,  to  be  employed  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  New  Connecticut.  The  ordination  took  place  on 
the  following  day,  June  I,  1808,  Rev.  Dr.  Perkins  preaching 
the  sermon,  and  Rev.  David  Ely  making  the  consecrating 
prayer.  After  one  year  in  missionary  service,  Mr.  Burt 
became  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Lamington, 
N.  J.,  where  he  remained  about  nine  years.  Removing  with 
his  family  to  North  Carolina,  he  had  charge  of  two  churches 
for  a  time,  one  in  Bath,  the  other  in  Washington,  supplying 
them  alternately.  Returning  to  New  England,  he  was  pastor, 
for  about  four  years,  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Tolland, 
Mass.  While  visiting  friends  in  Manchester  in  the  summer 
of  1823,  he  preached,  by  invitation,  for  Mr.  Cook,  on  the 
Sabbath  preceding  the  decease  of  that  lamented  pastor.  By 
request  of  the  committee  he  supplied  the  pulpit  also  the 
following  Sabbath.  Thus  by  a  singular  coincidence  of  the 
ordinary  and  extraordinary  in  the  providence  of  God,  the 
attention  of  the  people  was  called  to  Mr.  Burt  as  Mr.  Cook's 
successor.  He  was  engaged  as  a  supply  the  following  winter, 
and  on  the  first  Sabbath  of  July,  one  year  from  the  day  of 
his  first  preaching,  he  occupied  the  pulpit  as  pastor  of  the 
church. 

At  his  installation  the  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Thomas  Robbins,  from  I.  Cor.  i. :  18 — "  For  the  preaching  of 
the  cross  is  to  them  tha,t  perish  foolishness,  but  unto  us  that 
are  saved  it  is  the  power  of  God."  The  installing  prayer  was 
offered  by  Dr.  Nathan  Perkins,  the  charge  to  the  pastor  was 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Rowland  of  Simsbury,  right  hand  of  fellowship 
by  Rev.  Joy  H.  Fairchild  of  East  Hartford.  The  sermon  of 
Dr.  Robbins,  who  was  the  trusted  friend  and  counselor  of  the 
church  in  its  varied  fortunes,  was  published  by  request,  and 
the  sum  of  twenty  dollars  was  appropriated  to  meet  the  cost 
of  printing.  There  is  a  preliminary  note  which  states  that 
4 


26 

"  The  most  of  the  following  sermon  was  delivered  at  Windsor 
at  the  ordination  of  Messrs.  Leonard  Bacon  and  Erastus 
Maltby  as  Evangelists,  Sept.  24,  1824."  Of  these  ministers, 
one  became  pastor  of  the  First  Church  in  New  Haven  in  1825  ; 
the  other  of  the  Trinity  Congregational  Church,  Taunton, 
Mass.,  in  1826.  Both  retain  at  this  date  the  same  pastoral 
relation,  though  not  held  to  the  discharge  of  full  pastoral 
duty.  Thus  we  note  the  fact  not  known  to  all  students  of 
history,  but  interesting  to  some,  that  Dr.  Bacon's  ordination 
sermon  was  first  preached  in  Manchester.  There  is  also  in 
this  publication  "  An  appendix  containing  the  Minutes  of  the 
General  Consociation,  holden  at  Guilford,  Nov.  14,  1741,  by 
order  of  the  General  Assembly,  supposed  to  have  been  lost." 
This  Consociation  had  been  called  to  consult  and  give  expres- 
sion to  its  views  concerning  the  disorders  that  had  arisen  in 
connection  with  the  great  revival  movement  of  the  time.  A 
subsequent  act  of  the  General  Assembly  was  strongly  cen- 
sured on  account  of  the  unhappy  effects  of  its  execution,  and 
the  severity  with  which  it  bore  on  certain  zealous  and  useful 
ministers  in  the  State.  Dr.  Trumbull  in  his  history  censures 
not  only  the  law  but  also  the  proceedings  of  the  Consocia- 
tion, on  which  he  supposed  the  legislative  act  to  be  founded, 
though  he  had  not  seen  the  Minutes  of  the  Consociation,  and 
it  was  supposed  they  were  not  to  be  found.  Dr.  Robbins 
having  secured  a  copy  of  these  Minutes  published  them  with 
the  sermon  above  mentioned,  saying  in  his  preface,  "  With  a 
moderate  allowance  for  the  changes  in  the  state  of  society  in 
a  period  of  more  than  eighty  years,  and  the  different  usages 
of  the  times,  I  see  nothing  in  them  to  be  disapproved.  And 
they  afford  an  additional  proof  that  the  churches  of  the  State 
have  ever  enjoyed  the  signal  mercies  of  God  and  been  favored 
with  a  faithful  and  evangelical  ministry."  His  objection 
seems  to  have  been  not  so  much  to  the  spirit  of  the  act  of 
the  Legislature  as  to  the  extent  to  which  it  was  carried  and 
the  severity  of  its  penalty.  We  in  our  time  would  see  the 
trouble  not  in  the  Resolves  of  the  Council  at  Guilford,  but 
rather  in  the  Church  and  State  policy  of  the  time,  which 
made  the  General  Assembly  the  regulator  of  ecclesiastical 
affairs. 


27 

Recalling  our  thoughts  from  the  former  century,  into  which 
the  "Appendix"  has  led  us,  let  us  note  that  the  church,  which 
consisted  of  sixty-seven  members  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Cook's 
ordination,  numbered  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight  when 
Mr.  Burt  took  charge  of  it.  Thirty-six  were  added  during 
his  ministry,  which  was  comparatively  brief — three  and  a 
half  years.  He  assumed  the  pastorate  at  a  critical  time. 
The  membership  of  the  church  had  been  largely  increased. 
The  people  had  been  called  to  part  with  a  pastor  greatly  be- 
loved at  a  time  when  his  zeal  and  ability  were  needed  for 
strengthening  and  upbuilding  even  more  than  before  for 
awakening  and  ingathering.  The  charge  of  the  new  pastor 
is  seen  to  have  involved  peculiar  difficulty,  as  we  reflect  that 
a  large  increase  of  numbers  does  not  always  imply  a  propor- 
tional increase  of  strength — that  many  who  come  into  the 
church  only  add  to  the  care  and  anxiety  of  the  faithful  min- 
ister. There  is  nothing  to  indicate  the  spiritual  condition  of 
the  church  at  this  time  except  that  it  was  voted  in  February, 
1826,  on  account  of  the  languishing  state  of  vital  religion,  to 
observe  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer.  The  termination  of  the 
pastoral  relation  of  Mr.  Burt  occurred  in  February,  1828. 
We  have  no  account  of  his  dismission,  and  no  record  except 
the  concurrent  votes  of  the  church  and  society  with  reference 
to  the  call  of  the  council  to  consider  and  act  upon  the 
subject. 

He  was  never  afterwards  settled  in  the  ministry.  Before 
commencing  his  professional  studies  he  had  learned  the  trade 
of  a  watchmaker  and  employed  himself  in  mechanical  opera- 
tions, for  which  he  had  a  natural  taste,  together  with  consider- 
able inventive  genius.  His  attention  in  later  life  was  thus 
turned  to  secular  affairs.  He  was  the  author  of  various  me- 
chanical inventions  which  it  is  understood  brought  him  some 
pecuniary  returns,  and  which  would  have  been  more  valuable 
had  he  been  in  circumstances  to  bring  them  into  more  exten- 
sive and  permanent  use.  He  continued  to  reside  in  this  place, 
enjoying  the  respect  of  his  former  parishioners,  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  November  11,  1856.  Mr.  Burt  was  married 
in   1807  t0  Martha  Hamilton  of  Princeton,  N.  J.,  who  died 


28 

December  13,  1809,  leaving  one  daughter,  the  only  child  of 
Mr.  Burt,  and  who  now  resides  in  Hartford.  He  was  after- 
wards married  to  Phebe  Jagger  of  South  Hampton,  Mass., 
who  died  August  9,  1856. 

Rev.  B.  F.  Northrop. 

After  an  interval  of  one  year  the  church  and  society  united 
in  extending  a  call  to  Mr.  Bennett  F.  Northrop,  who  as  fifth 
pastor  was  ordained  February  4,  1829.  He  was  born  at 
Brookfield,  Conn.,  October  16,  1801  ;  was  graduated  at  Yale 
College  in  1824;  studied  theology  at  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary, Auburn,  N.  Y.,  and  preached  one  year  in  Tolland,  Mass., 
before  his  settlement  here.  He  was  dismissed  October  29, 
1850.  After  a  year  of  rest  and  two  years  in  the  service  of 
the  Am.  S.  S.  Union,  he  was  installed  pastor  of  the  First 
Church  in  Griswold  July  1,  1853.  This  position  he  held 
till  July  3,  1870 — seventeen  years.  He  died  at  Griswold,  of 
softening  of  the  brain,  March  4,  1875.  The  discourse  at  his 
funeral,  by  Rev.  H.  P.  Arms,  D.  D.,  of  Norwich,  was  pub- 
lished. 

In  January,  1840,  after  the  church  edifice  had  received 
important  repairs,  Mr.  Northrop  preached  a  dedicatory  dis- 
course from  Is.  Ixiii,  7 — "  I  will  make  mention  of  the  loving- 
kindnesses  of  the  Lord,"  etc.,  setting  forth — 1st,  God's 
loving-kindness  in  the  history  of  the  church  hitherto  ;  2d, 
How  the  continuance  of  His  loving-kindness  may  be  secured  ; 
3d,  Considerations  which  should  lead  His  people  to  secure 
His  favor.  In  this  discourse  Mr.  Northrop  refers  to  the  min- 
istry of  his  predecessor  as  the  period  which  was  signalized 
by  the  erection  of  the  present  house  of  worship,  and  remarks 
in  language  not  inapposite  to  our  circumstances  at  the 
present  time,  "  In  moving  the  people  to  build  and  in  giving 
them  a  mind  to  the  work,  the  great  goodness  of  the  Lord  is 
to  be  essentially  noted  as  imparting  a  fresh  impulse  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  church,  and  constituting  a  cheering  spot  on 
the  page  of  her  history.  For  a  disposition  to  build  a  commo- 
dious and  comfortable  house  of  worship,  with  the  ability  and 
energy  to  carry  it  through,  is  not  to  be  reckoned  among  the 


29 

least  of  God's  loving-kindnesses."  In  further  reference  to  the 
tokens  of  divine  favor  during  his  own  ministry,  he  says  :  "In 
1 83  i  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  pour  out  his  spirit  and  bless 
the  church  with  an  extensive  revival  of  religion.  It  com- 
menced in  the  bible  class,  of  which  the  pastor  then  had 
charge,  and  ultimately  spread  through  the  society  and  town, 
continuing  nearly  or  quite  through  the  year.  One  hundred 
and  thirty-eight  were  added  to  the  church  as  the  fruit  of  this 
revival."  There  were  subsequently  other  seasons  of  special 
interest,  the  most  important  of  which  occurred  in  1843,  when 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  manifested  in  an  unusual 
degree.  Seventy  persons  weie  added  to  the  church  on  pro- 
fession of  their  faith.  The  fruits  of  this  revival  long 
remained.  Not  only  did  this  church  receive  new  spiritual 
force  which  it  has  continued  to  feel  ever  since,  but  churches 
in  other  places — Glastonbury,  North  Manchester,  Talcottville, 
Hartford,  Chicago,  Philadelphia,  and  some  on  the  far  western 
prairies — have  been  strengthened  by  the  faith  and  works  of 
individuals  who  in  that  year  of  refreshing  stood  before  this 
altar  of  God  to  confess  their  faith  and  say,  "  We  are  on  the 
Lord's  side." 

At  Mr.  Northrop's  settlement  the  church  consisted  of  two 
hundred  and  eight  members.  The  whole  number  received 
during  his  ministry  was  about  four  hundred  and  fourteen. 
The  list  of  members  reached  the  highest  number  in  1847, 
three  years  before  his  dismission.  It  was  then  three  hundred 
and  twenty-four,  and  at  the  close  of  his  ministry  was  about 
three  hundred. 

In  Nov.,  1831,  after  the  arduous  and  protracted  labors  con- 
nected with  the  revival  at  that  time,  Mr.  Northrop  was  con- 
strained to  ask  his  people  either  to  release  him  from  pastoral 
duty  for  a  year,  or  to  unite  with  him  in  calling  a  council  for 
his  dismission.  After  serious  consideration  of  the  subject, 
and  the  observance  of  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  the  church 
voted  to  unite  with  the  pastor  in  calling  a  council.  It  does 
not  appear,  however,  that  the  proposed  council  was  convened. 
The  needed  rest  was  doubtless  taken,  and  the  pastor  contin- 
ued in  his  place.     Thus  a  pastorate  which  might  have  termi- 


30 

nated  in  two  years  became,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  the 
longest  that  has  been  known  in  the  history  of  the  church. 
In  1850,  his  health  again  suffering  from  the  strain  of  long- 
continued  pastoral  duty,  Mr.  Northrop  resigned  his  charge, 
hoping,  by  a  season  of  rest  and  a  change  in  his  field  of  labor, 
to  extend  the  period  of  his  active  usefulness  in  the  ministry. 
In  this  he  was  not  disappointed,  as  his  subsequent  years  of 
successful  service  abundantly  proved.  He  was  a  man  strong 
in  his  love  of  spiritual  things,  and  earnestly  devoted  to  his 
calling;  firm  without  self-assertion,  of  good  natural  powers 
strengthened  by  thorough  culture,  combining  a  clear  percep- 
tion of  scriptural  truth  with  facility  in  its  presentation.  He 
was  consistent  in  life,  faithful  in  service,  beloved  by  the  peo- 
ple of  both  parishes  which  he  served,  never  losing  his  inter- 
est and  affection  for  this  church,  to  which  he  gave  the 
strength  of  his  early  manhood,  and  bearing  with  him  to  the 
grave  the  love  of  many  here  who  could  never  forget  their 
devoted  pastor  and  friend. 

Mr.  Northrop  was  married  May  7,  1827,  to  Martha  Still- 
man  of  Wethersfield,  who  died  Sept.  17,  1844.  Of  eight 
children  born  to  them,  three  are  still  living.  He  was  married 
June  24,  1845,  to  Mary  W.  Bull  of  Hartford,  who  still  resides 
at  Griswold. 

Rev.  Frederick  T.  Perkins. 

Having  spoken  of  those  who  rest  from  their  labors,  we 
now  speak  more  briefly  of  the  living.  Rev.  Frederick  T.  Per- 
kins, sixth  pastor,  was  installed  June  11,  1851.  Dr.  Bennett 
Tyler  was  Moderator  of  the  Council,  and  the  order  of  public 
exercises  as  follows  :  Sermon,  Rev.  Isaac  P.  Langworthy, 
Chelsea,  Mass.  ;  Installing  Prayer,  Rev.  Joel  Hawes,  D.D., 
Hartford  ;  Charge  to  Pastor,  Rev.  B.  F.  Northrop  ;  Right 
Hand  of  Fellowship,  Rev.  Geo.  E.  Hill,  North  Manchester  ; 
Address  to  the  people,  Rev.  Walter  Clarke,  D.D.,  Hartford. 

Mr.  Perkins  was  born  in  Sanbornton,  N.  H.,  Aug.  16, 
181 1  ;  was  graduated  at  Yale  College  1839,  studied  theology 
at  Yale  Theological  Seminary,  was  pastor  at  East  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  Jan.  11,  1843,  to   May  26,  1851.     After  a  successful 


3i 

ministry  of  a  little  more  than  five  years  in  Manchester,  dur- 
ing which  twenty-nine  members  were  added  to  the  church 
by  letter  and  sixty-nine  by  profession,  he  was  dismissed  Oct. 
14,  1856.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  in  active  service  in 
various  places:  Williamsburg,  Mass.,  Galesburg,  111.,  Hart- 
ford and  Naugatuck,  Conn.,  and  is  at  present  acting  pastor 
of  the  church  at  Tilton,  N.  H.  In*  the  first  year  of  Mr.  Per- 
kins' ministry  occurred  a  work  of  grace  very  fruitful  in  its 
results,  beginning  in  December  and  continuing  through  the 
winter.  "  The  Spirit  of  God,"  it  is  stated,  "  moved  with  great 
power  upon  the  hearts  of  the  young  people.  About  one 
hundred  and  fifty  were  hopefully  converted,  many  of  whom 
united  with  this  church,  while  others  were  received  into  the 
churches  of  neighboring  towns.  Subsequently,  another  sea- 
son of  deep  interest  was  enjoyed,  when  the  Spirit  descended 
upon  the  children  gently  but  with  quickening  power,  leading 
many  to  the  knowledge  of  a  Saviour's  love,  the  blessedness 
of  seeking  first  the  kingdom  of  God." 

Rev.  S.  B.  Forbes. 

Rev.  Samuel  B.  Forbes,  the  seventh  pastor,  was  ordained 
Oct.  20,  1857,  and  dismissed  April,  1859. 

At  his  ordination  the  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Mark 
Hopkins,  D.D.  ;  the  Ordaining  Prayer  was  made  by  Rev.  G. 
A.  Calhoun,  D.D.  ;  the  Charge  to  the  Pastor  was  given  by 
Rev.  J.  C.  Webster  of  Hopkinton,  Mass.  ;  the  Right  Hand 
of  Fellowship  by  Rev.  Hiram  Day  ;  the  Charge  to  the  Peo- 
ple by  Rev.  Walter  Clarke,  D.D.  Mr.  Forbes  was  born  in 
Westborough,  Mass.,  Aug.  1,  1826;  was  graduated  at  Williams 
College  in  1855,  and  completed  his  theological  studies  at  the 
Theological  Institute,  East  Windsor,  in  1857.  He  entered 
upon  his  work  here  with  the  strong  affection  and  confidence 
of  the  people,  and  with  great  promise  of  usefulness.  Failing 
health,  however,  compelled  him  early  to  relinquish  his  pas- 
toral work  and  to  devote  himself  to  secular  pursuits.  He  has 
since  resided  in  Winsted,  useful  in  the  church  while  active 
in  business  life. 


32 
Rev.  L.  M.  Dorman. 

Rev.  Lester  M.  Dorman,  eighth  pastor,  was  ordained  June 
6,  i860,  and  dismissed  May  10,  1870.  At  his  ordination 
Rev.  Joel  Hawes,  D.D.  of  Hartford,  was  Moderator  of  the 
Council,  and  the  order  of  public  service  as  follows  :  Scripture 
lesson  and  prayer  by  Rev.  George  N.  Webber  of  Hartford  ; 
Sermon  by  Rev.  Horatio  W.  Brown,  then  a  member  of  the 
Faculty  of  Yale  College  ;  Ordaining  Prayer  by  Rev.  C.  W. 
Clapp  of  Rockville;  Charge  to  Pastor  and  people,  in  one 
address,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Hawes  ;  Right  Hand  of  Fellowship  by 
Rev.  E.  P.  Parker. 

Mr.  Dorman  was  born  at  Hamden,  Conn.,  Nov.  5,  1829; 
was  graduated  at  Yale  College  1854  ;  studied  theology  at  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary  in  New  York.  For  several 
months  previous  to  his  settlement  the  church  had  been  sup- 
plied by  Rev.  Warren  G.  Jones,  whose  labors  met  with  favor 
both  from  the  Lord  and  the  people,  sixty  members  having 
been  added  by  profession  and  nine  by  letter  in  1859.  Dur- 
ing Mr.  Dorman's  ministry  of  ten  years,  eighty-two  persons 
were  received  into  the  church — the  largest  increase  having 
been  in  connection  with  a  season  of  spiritual  refreshing  in 
1865.  This  period  is  noted,  also,  as  including  the  memorable 
war  years — years  of  struggle  and  victory  for  the  preservation 
of  the  National  Union.  In  those  dark  times  when  all  hearts 
were  tried,  no  heart  was  more  loyal  in  feeling,  or  more  ear- 
nest in  utterance  for  the  principles  on  which  the  nation's 
life  depended  than  that  of  the  pastor  of  this  church. 

In  1870  a  difference  of  opinion  having  arisen  with  respect 
to  the  advisability  of  changing  the  place  of  public  worship, 
Mr.  Dorman  was  led  to  resign  his  charge  and  ask  for  a  coun- 
cil for  his  dismission.  After  ministering  for  about  nine 
months  to  a  congregation  worshiping  in  Cheneys'  Hall,  he 
entered  the  communion  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
He  has  since  resided  in  New  York,  devoting  himself  in  part 
to  literary  work,  and  in  part  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  in 
connection  with  the  Church  of  the  Ascension. 

After  an  interval  of  one  year  the  present  pastor  was  in- 
stalled June  8,  1 87 1.    Rev.  B.  F.  Northrop  was  Moderator  of 


33 

the  Council.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Nathaniel  J. 
Burton,  D.D.,  of  Hartford.  Other  parts  in  the  service  as 
follows :  Installing  prayer,  Rev.  Geo.  A.  Oviatt,  Talcottville  ; 
Charge  to  Pastor,  Rev.  Amos  S.  Chesebrough,  Vernon  ; 
Right  Hand  of  Fellowship,  Rev.  Theodore  J.  Holmes,  East 
Hartford  ;  Charge  to  People,  Rev.  B.  F.  Northrop,  Griswold. 

The  exact  membership  of  the  church  at  that  time  it  has 
been  difficult  to  ascertain.  It  is  given  in  the  minutes  of  the 
State  Conference  as  two  hundred  and  thirty-five,  but  this 
includes  not  less  than  fifty  absent  members,  whose  residence 
in  some  cases  it  was  impossible  to  trace.  Eighty  members 
have  been  added  since  1870,  and  the  number  whose  residence 
is  now  known  is  a  little  less  than  two  hundred.  While  there 
has  been  no  powerful  and  extensive  revival  work  among  us 
during  the  last  eight  years,  there  have  been  two  occasions — 
one  in  1872,  the  other  in  1877 — when  special  influences  of 
the  Spirit  have  been  graciously  manifested,  when  some  have 
been  brought  to  the  new  life  of  faith,  when  Christians  have 
been  refreshed  and  strengthened,  "  walking  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  and  in  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Of  ourselves  and  our  works,  brethren,  it  does  not  become 
us  now  to  speak.  God  has  set  us  here  where  what  we  do,  be 
it  little  or  much,  will  not  escape  the  scrutiny  of  other  times. 
In  the  measure  of  the  centuries  we  are  cutting  our  notch, 
which  we  hope  will  be  visible  a  hundred  years  hence,  and 
that  those  who  study  our  record  will  find  some  evidence  of 
the  existence  of  a  church  in  1879  which  was  not  unmindful 
of  the  faith  and  works  of  the  fathers,  nor  unconcerned  for 
the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  generations  to  come.  Early  in  the 
present  year  the  subject  of  repairing  extensively  the  former 
house  of  worship  was  seriously  considered,  as  a  matter  to  be 
deferred  no  longer.  The  result  was  the  determination  to 
build  anew.  For  this  enterprise,  so  successfully  completed, 
we  make  grateful  mention  of  the  divine  goodness,  the  sympa- 
thy and  aid  of  friends  and  former  members  of  the  church  in 
this  and  other  towns,  while  the  zeal  and  self-sacrifice  of  those 
who  have  here  borne  the  burden,  giving  heart  and  time  and 
money  to  the  work,  we  leave  for  others  to  commend. 

5 


34 

Settled  Pastors. 

Pausing  here  for  a  glance  over  the  field  which  we  have 
surveyed,  it  is  seen  from  the  review  that  the  practice  of  the 
church  has  been  to  have  settled  pastors.  The  vacancies 
which  have  occurred  have  been  incidental  and  temporary, 
and  though  sometimes  protracted,  never  with  the  purpose 
relinquished  of  restoring  the  settled  ministry.  The  church 
has  been,  however,  twenty  years  without  a  settled  pastor. 
Of  these,  sixteen  belong  to  the  first  half  of  the  century,  and 
four  to  the  second  half.  Making  these  deductions,  the  aver- 
age term  of  pastoral  service  is,  for  the  first  fifty  years,  eight 
and  one-half  years,  and  for  the  second  fifty  years,  nine  and 
one-fifth  years  ;  while  in  the  eighty  years  during  which  the 
pastoral  office  has  been  filled  there  have  been  nine  pastors, 
with  an  average  term  of  a  little  less  than  nine  years.  While 
it  has  been  easy  to  name  those  who  have  labored  thus  in  the 
word  and  doctrine,  it  is  not  so  easy  to  measure  the  influence 
of  individual  workers  ;  sometimes  the  faithful  few  whose  light 
has  shone  in  dark  times,  and  whose  lives,  by  the  fruit  they 
bore,  have  been  felt  long  after  their  work  was  done.  It  is 
well  for  us  to  reflect  that  the  blessings  which  enrich  us  to-day 
may  be  largely  due  to  the  fidelity  of  those  whose  patience 
and  faith  have  no  adequate  record  but  in  God's  book  of 
remembrance. 

Service  of  Song. 

The  service  of  song  has  ever  been  regarded  as  a  most 
important  department  of  worship,  if  not  coordinate  with  the 
preaching  of  the  Word.  In  the  old  sanctuaries  the  choir- 
gallery  facing  the  congregation  on  three  sides  indicated  not 
only  the  provision  made  for  the  service,  but  also  the  numbers 
engaged  in  it.  This  church  has  been  favored  in  the  course 
of  its  history  by  the  presence  of  individuals  and  of  families 
gifted  in  heart  and  voice,  whose  zeal  for  the  praises  of  Zion 
has  inspired  enthusiasm  in  others  and  given  character  and 
efficiency  to  this  branch  of  divine  service.  For  a  long  period 
of  time,  during  which  the  choir  was  famed  for  its  excellence 
in  the  region  round  about,  many  prominent  members  of  it 


35 

were  connected  with  the  several  branches  of  one  family. 
The  Woodbridge  blood,  flowing  in  successive  generations 
and  taking  different  family  names,  carried  with  it  the  gift  and 
love  of  song,  of  which  the  religious  services  here  for  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  have  had  the  benefit. 

In  this  connection  reference  may  be  made  to  Mr.  Jarvis 
Crandall,  an  esteemed  teacher  of  music,  though  not  a  resi- 
dent of  the  place  ;  to  Mr.  Samuel  Chandler,  to  Dea.  Horace 
Pitkin,  and  Dea.  Normand  Spencer,  leaders  of  the  choir  suc- 
cessively for  many  years — men  with  music  in  their  souls,  and 
with  it  a  living  faith,  in  whose  singing  the  spirit  and  the 
understanding  were  worthily  blended  ;  not  to  speak  of  some 
now  among  us  whose  contribution  to  the  worship  of  God  in 
past  days  is  not  forgotten  by  those  who  still  "enter  into  His 
gates  with  thanksgiving  and  into  His  courts  with  praise." 

Articles  of  Faith. 

The  religious  faith  of  those  who  acknowledged  the  covenant 
when  the  church  was  formed  was  substantially  that  held  by 
the  New  England  churches  of  that  day.  It  has  been  main- 
tained without  essential  change  ever  since.  The  first  formal 
Confession  of  Faith,  aside  from  what  was  implied  in  the  orig- 
inal covenant,  was  adopted,  October  9,  1800.  At  the  same 
time  a  form  of  covenant  was  adopted,  brief  but  admirable 
both  in  spirit  and  expression.  This  confession  Mr.  Northrop 
alludes  to  in  his  dedicatory  sermon  in  1840,  as  the  present 
Confession  of  Faith.  It  was  subsequently  revised  during  his 
ministry,  the  revision  consisting  mainly  in  the  division  of 
the  topics  into  separate  articles,  and  a  brief  addition  to  the 
covenant. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  church  held  December  31,  1852,  the 
present  form  of  Confession  and  Covenant  was  adopted,  the 
Confession  having  been  drawn  up,  it  is  stated,  by  Dr.  Bennett 
Tyler,  and  the  Covenant  by  Dr.  Payson.  It  is  a  matter  for 
thankfulness  that  the  church  has  been  united  through  all  its 
history  in  the  acceptance  of  the  great  truths  of  the  gospel  as 
generally  held  by  our  Connecticut  churches.  Its  -ministers 
have  been  educated  at  various  theological  schools — Prince- 


36 

ton,  New  Haven,  East  Windsor,  Auburn,  and  New  York, — 
yet  in  their  ministrations  they  have  found  the  people  united 
as  far  as  could  be  reasonably  expected  in  accepting  their 
teachings.  Whatever  occasion  of  division  in  other  matters 
may  have  arisen,  in  this  has  prevailed  the  unity  of  the  spirit 
in  the  bond  of  peace.  Mr.  R.  R.  Phelps  was  never  suspected 
of  laxity  in.  his  doctrinal  opinions;  yet  when,  with  his  old 
school  pastor,  he  visited  the  people  from  time  to  time  to  aid 
in  clearing  up  difficult  points  of  doctrine,  such  as  election 
and  total  depravity,  it  is  understood  that  his  explanations 
were  satisfactory  to  hitherto  doubtful  minds.  May  this 
church  continue  to  favor  and  to  demand  the  preaching  of  the 
truths  of  God's  word,  observing  that  what  are  called  the  dis- 
tinctive doctrines  of  Calvinism  are  not  for  that  reason  to  be 
regarded  as  the  most  important  doctrines  of  Calvinism  ;  that 
doctrinal  preaching,  as  some  have  assumed,  is  not  simply  the 
preaching  of  decrees  and  election,  but  rather  the  great  truths 
of  a  personal  God,  his  perfect  law,  man's  guilt  as  a  trans- 
gressor, the  provision  of  life  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  renew  and  sanctify,  the  duty  of  coming  to  God 
by  faith,  and  of  daily  living  by  faith — doctrines  which  are  the 
only  ground  of  hope  and  the  only  basis  of  Christian  character, 
and  which  make  the  preaching  of  such  men  as  Moody  and 
Spurgeon,  as  they  did  that  of  Edwards  and  Wesley  preemi- 
nently doctrinal  preaching. 

Discipline. 

This  church,  especially  in  its  earlier  history,  was  not  inat- 
tentive to  the  subject  of  discipline.  Its  rules  received  due 
consideration.  Indeed,  one  would  judge  from  the  records 
that  when  no  other  business  was  on  hand  in  church  meeting, 
a  motion  for  a  committee  to  revise  the  standing  rules  was 
usually  in  order.  The  obligation  to  look  after  delinquent 
members  was  recognized.  It  would  occasion  some  surprise 
for  an  erring  brother  to-day  to  receive  notice  that  on  a  given 
Sabbath  he  would  be  publicly  admonished  before  the  congre- 
gation. Several  instances  of  such  admonition  are  recorded, 
which  seem  to  have  been  submitted  to  with  becoming  defer- 


37 

ence.  though  not  always  with  the  effect  to  reclaim  the  offender. 
By  vote  of  the  church,  the  practice  of  public  admonition  was 
discontinued  in  1834.  The  tendency  of  later  times,  it  must 
be  confessed,  is  to  the  neglect  of  discipline  in  the  church, 
and  the  disregard  of  covenant  obligations.  Is  there  not  a 
like  tendency  in  the  family  and  in  the  State  ?  What  occasion 
have  we  to  dread  the  peril  impending  on  all  sides  from  this 
cause  unless  with  the  larger  personal  liberty  there  is  felt  a 
stronger  personal  obligation  to  maintain  good  behavior ! 

Revivals. 

With  the  spirit  and  work  of  revivals  this  church  has  been 
ever  in  sympathy,  and  owes  to  this  fact  much  of  its  progress 
and  usefulness  in  the  past.  The  great  awakening  which  at- 
tended the  labors  of  Edwards  and  Whitefield  about  the  mid- 
dle of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  in  which  not  a  few  minis- 
ters of  Connecticut,  of  great  faith  and  earnestness,  had  a 
prominent  part,  left  an  influence  with  the  churches  which 
did  not  die  in  the  period  of  coldness  and  unbelief  which  sub- 
sequently prevailed.  Through  earnest  preaching,  believing 
prayer,  and  faithful  Christian  effort  there  had  been  an  expe- 
rience of  power  from  God  which  did  not  permit  His  people 
to  forget  their  high  privilege,  even  in  times  of  greatest  declen- 
sion. The  gracious  illumination  which  came  to  New  England 
and  extended  widely  west  and  south  at  the  close  of  the  cen- 
tury shed  its  light  upon  Zion  here,  and  Mr.  King,  in  his  fare- 
well sermon  eight  years  later,  spoke  of  that  time  of  refresh- 
ing, and  of  more  than  forty  members  added  to  the  church  in 
1800.  Besides  the  powerful  work  of  God  which  took  place 
in  1 8 14,  at  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Cook's  ministry,  bringing  to 
the  things  which  here  remained  and  were  ready  to  die,  the 
vigor  of  a  new  life,  this  church  in  common  with  many  others 
shared  largely  in  those  visitations  of  divine  grace  which,  at 
times,  have  widely  prevailed,  as  in  1821,  1831,  1843,  and  1858  ; 
while  from  time  to  time  the  blessing  has  come,  the  Spirit  of 
God  has  been  manifested  in  saving  power  according  to  His 
people's  need  and  their  purpose  to  claim  His  promise.  Dr. 
Asahel  Nettleton,  who  preached  with  great  effect  in  many 


38 

places  in  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  from  1812  to  182 1, 
was  well  known  here.  His  name  was  long  held  in  grateful 
remembrance  by  many  who  had  witnessed  the  power  of  God 
in  his  ministrations,  winning  souls  to  Christ  and  adding  to 
the  church  such  as  should  be  saved. 

Reform. 

With  the  great  reform  movements  which  belong  to  our  time 
the  churches  of  our  faith  have  been  intimately  allied.  With- 
out the  favor  and  cooperation  of  the  churches  slavery,  so  far 
as  we  can  see,  would  not  have  been  abolished  ;  the  temper- 
ance reform  would  never  have  reached  its  present  stage  of 
progress.  Individuals  in  their  zeal  may  be  effective  in  a  de- 
gree. But  the  church  of  God,  in  its  steady  and  constant 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  true  reform  responding  to  the  divine 
injunction,  "  Be  not  weary  in  well  doing,"  gives  the  only  hope 
of  certain  and  permanent  success.  It  is  gratifying  to  note 
the  readiness  with  which  the  churches  of  this  State  entered 
into  the  early  temperance  movement,  beginning  the  reform 
with  themselves,  as  indeed  there  was  need,  then  by  example 
and  precept  appealing  to  others,  and  thus  extending  and  car- 
rying forward  the  work.  The  influence  of  Mr.  Cook  was  a 
strong  force  in  the  early  stages  of  this  reform.  He  began 
his  ministry  at  the  time  when  deacons  and  other  friends  vis- 
iting the  parsonage  on  Sabbath-noon  were  refreshed  from 
generous  decanters  ;  when  for  the  pastor  to  take  his  morning 
dram  and  give  the  children  the  sugar  at  the  bottom  was  not 
an  unusual  thing ;  when  the  entertainment  of  ministerial 
gatherings  was  not  complete  without  the  provision  of  strong 
drink,  with  the  inevitable  liability  to  the  embarrassment 
arising,  in  some  cases,  from  over-indulgence.  It  is  related 
that  on  one  occasion  at  a  ministers'  meeting  in  Hartford,  Mr. 
Cook,  with  some  others,  became  so  impressed  with  the  evil 
tendency  of  the  drinking  practice  that  then  and  there  they 
came  together  and  pledged  themselves  to  each  other  to  aban- 
don entirely  the  use  of  ardent  spirits.  This  was,  doubtless, 
the  first  decided  movement  on  the  side  of  total  abstinence  in 
Hartford  and  vicinity.     The  interest  of  this  church  in  this 


39 

cause  is  seen  from  the  record  of  a  meeting  held  Sept.  26, 
1833,  at  which  it  was  voted  :  That  hereafter  no  person  shall 
be  admitted  to  the  communion  of  this  church,  either  upon 
confession  or  by  letter,  who  does  not  recognize  the  principle 
of  total  abstinence  from  spirituous  liquors,  and  practice  ac- 
cordingly. The  same  requirement  has  a  place  in  the  last 
revision  of  the  standing  rules.  Let  us  hope  that  its  faithful 
observance  will  be  fruitful  of  good  for  a  century  to  come.  It 
is  understood  that  the  first  wedding  in  this  town  at  which 
wine  was  discarded  in  the  entertainment  of  guests  took  place 
at  the  house  of  a  member  of  this  church  now  living  and  now 
present. 

General  Benevolence. 

The  first  third  of  the  century  now  in  review  had  passed 
before  the  great  missionary  movements  in  this  country  had 
begun.  The  American  Board  was  organized  in  18 10,  during 
the  interval  between  the  ministry  of  Mr.  King  and  that  of 
Mr.  Cook.  The  large  number  added  to  the  church  during 
Mr.  Cook's  ministry  included  members  who  have  been  spoken 
of  as  pillars  of  the  church  for  half  a  century.  Among  them 
were  those  who  gave  the  appeals  of  the  missionary  cause  a 
hearty  response,  who  made  it  a  principle  to  give  of  their  sub- 
stance systematically  and  regularly  as  the  Lord  had  prospered 
them.  Thus  the  church  came  into  immediate  cooperation 
with  the  great  benevolent  societies  as  they  were  formed,  one 
after  another,  to  extend  the  power  of  divine  truth  in  the 
world.  Forty  years  ago,  Mr.  Northrop,  reviewing  God's  lov- 
ing-kindness to  this  people,  said  :  "  For  many  years  the  va- 
rious causes  of  Christian  benevolence  have  been  winding 
themselves  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  affections  of  the 
church.  And  I  think  I  may  say  with  truth,  without  being 
guilty  of  vain  boasting,  as  due  to  God  who  hath  inclined  the 
hearts  of  His  people  to  devise  liberal  things,  that  there  is  no 
one  of  the  leading  objects  of  Christian  enterprise,  when 
properly  presented  before  them,  which  has  not  received  its 
due  share  of  consideration  and  the  call  for  assistance  been 
cordially  and  liberally  responded  to."  Grateful  for  all  the 
indications  in  our  later  records  of  our  sympathy  with  the 


40 

benevolent  spirit  of  the  past,  we  may  unite  in  Mr.  Northrop's 
expression  of  the  earnest  desire  "  that  it  may  always  be  thus 
so  long  as  suffering  humanity  exists,  or  a  nation  or  a  tribe 
remains  ignorant  of  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God," 

The  Sunday-School. 

Of  the  Sunday-school  the  early  records  make  no  mention. 
It  was  organized  in  1820  and  has  been  maintained  without 
interruption  since  that  time.  The  following  action  is  re- 
corded, passed  July  1,  1832  : 

Voted,  That  this  church  will  adopt  the  Sabbath-school  as 
the  school  of  the  church  and  take  the  guardianship  and  over- 
sight of  the  same. 

Voted,  That  in  view  of  the  importance  of  Sabbath-school 
instruction  to  our  children,  we  will  do  all  in  our  power  to  sus- 
tain the  Sabbath-school  now  taken  under  our  care  ;  and  also 
that  we  will  exert  ourselves  to  secure  its  benefits  to  all  the 
children  within  our  influence.  This  action  was  followed  by 
the  appointment  of  committees  to  visit  in  the  different  parts 
of  the  parish  to  awaken  interest  and  gather  scholars  into  the 
school.  This  appointment  was  renewed  for  several  successive 
years.  The  following  list  of  officers  in  the  Sabbath-school 
at  the  time  this  action  was  taken  is  the  first  of  which  there 
is  any  record  :  Superintendent,  Martin  H.  Keeney  ;  Secre- 
tary, Normand  Spencer  ;  Treasurer,  George  Bunce  ;  Librarian, 
Frederick  Woodbridge.  In  the  years  immediately  succeed- 
ing, the  superintendency  was  held  by  Samuel  C.  McKee, 
George  Bunce,  and  Horace  Pitkin.  Since  that  time  the 
church  has  continued  to  recognize  its  responsible  relation  to 
the  Sabbath-school.  It  has  participated  in  the  growing  in- 
terest in  Sabbath-school  work  in  our  land  during  the  last 
forty  years,  and  rejoiced  in  the  zeal  and  facilities  for  this 
work  which  have  been  so  remarkably  developed  within  the 
last  ten  years.  It  becomes  us  here  to  record  our  estimate  of 
the  Sabbath-school — its  special  provision  for  the  young,  iis 
call  to  personal,  individual  study  of  the  word  of  God,  and  to 
renew  our  devotion  to  it  as  a  chief  department  of  the  church's 
power  and  usefulness  ;  not  to  the  exclusion  of  family  instruc- 


41 

tion,  but  as  a  vital   agency  through  which  the  home  power 
shall  continue  most  effectively  to  work. 

Relation  to  Other  Churches. 

The  relation  of  this  church  to  other  churches  deserves 
special  mention.  There  are  feelings  of  gratitude  and  honor 
for  those  which  are  older,  which  gave  to  this  the  hand  of 
sympathy  and  help  in  its  early  history.  There  is  joy  in  the 
fellowship  of  those  which  have  since  entered  into  covenant 
with  Christ  and  become  new  centers  of  spiritual  life  and 
power.  Then  the  thought  cheers  us  that  in  these  several 
churches  are  true  servants  who  have  gone  from  the  commun- 
ion of  this,  bearing  their  light  with  them,  earnest  in  their 
Master's  work  in  the  time  and  place  which  He  has  appointed. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  185 1,  the  Second  Church — the 
church  in  North  Manchester — was  organized,  sixty-sever, 
persons  having  received  letters  of  dismission  and  recom- 
mendation from  this  church  for  that  purpose.  This  occurred 
a  few  weeks  after  Mr.  Northrop's  dismission,  and  several 
months  before  the  settlement  of  his  successor — a  time  fitly 
chosen,  whether  by  a  favoring  providence  or  by  the  consid- 
eration of  the  out-going  members  we  know  not,  when  there 
was  no  pastor  of  the  mother  church  to  be  pained  by  the 
separation  of  so  many  beloved  members  of  his  flock.  The 
Second  Church,  prospered  of  God  in  its  important  work, 
observed,  in  1876,  its  quarter-centennial  anniversary,  in  which 
this  church  joined  in  delightful  reunion,  mingling  its  own 
with  the  cordial  greetings  and  congratulations  of  various 
neighboring  churches.  These  two  churches  must  ever  be 
held  together  by  their  historic  relationship,  as  well  as  by 
their  common  obligation  to  the  kingdom  of  God  here  where 
the  Head  of  the  church  has  established  their  foundations. 

Scarcely  had  our  fathers  fixed  the  bounds  of  their  ecclesi- 
astical habitation  ere  the  pioneers  of  Methodism  were  on 
their  track.  The  Methodist  church  is  about  twelve  years 
younger  than  this.  With  some  prejudices,  doubtless,  in  the 
early  time,  when  their  methods  were  more  unlike  and  their 
understanding  of  each  other  less  clear,  there  has  yet  existed, 
6 


42 

in  later  years,  between  these  churches  a  relation  of  harmony, 
confidence,  and  cooperation  in  the  Lord's  work.  This  has 
been  manifested  in  their  occasional  union  in  public  services 
and  the  interchange  of  invitations,  from  time  to  time,  to  unite 
in  the  observance  of  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
For  many  years  the  two  houses  of  worship  stood  side  by  side 
on  this  pleasant  elevation,  thus  affording  facility  for  the  exer- 
cise of  the  spirit  of  comity  and  cooperation  ;  a  convenience, 
likewise,  for  those  hearers  who  are  specially  fond  of  variety, 
consulting  their  own  preference  if  not  always  that  of  their 
minister  in  their  place  of  worship — a  class  that  might  be 
called  the  pendulum  class,  save  that  they  have  not  the  pend- 
ulum's regularity  in  their  vibrations 

In  process  of  time  the  Methodist  church  also  became  two, 
the  new  organization  taking  its  place  beside  the  Congrega- 
tional church  already  established  in  the  north  village,  the 
two  resuming  relations  similar  to  those  which  had  existed 
between  the  parent  churches  in  former  years.  About  two 
years  later  the  elder  Methodist  church  removed  its  place  of 
worship,  to  its  present  site  in  the  south  village,  leaving  the 
old  church  at  the  center  somewhat  lonely  in  her  solitariness, 
yet  not  deserted  by  her  Lord  and  Head,  and  still  feeling  the 
pulse  of  life  and  sympathy  in  these  several  churches  spring- 
ing from  their  relations  so  intimate  in  the  past,  and  their 
consecration  to  a  mission  so  important  and  promising  for  the 
future.  Thus  there  is  much  in  the  history  of  this  quarto  of 
churches  to  make  strong  the  bond  which  unites  them  to- 
day— a  bond  which  we  trust  will  grow  stronger  with  the 
lapse  of  time,  making  them  rivals  only  in  the  purpose  to 
excel  in  love  to  one  another  and  in  zeal  for  the  Master's 
glory. 

Conclusion. 

In  concluding  this  survey  we  feel  how  impossible  it  is  to 
bring  the  life  of  a  church  for  so  long  a  time,  with  its  mani- 
fold experience  and  service,  fully  under  observation.  With 
records  imperfect,  and  for  important  periods  entirely  want- 
ing, with  the  fact  well  understood  that  even  the  best  records 
fail  to  represent  the  condition  of  a  people,  we  are  compelled 


43 

to  judge  the  past  in  great  measure  by  the  present,  and  from 
our  knowledge  of  life  fill  in  the  outline  which  at  best  we  par- 
tially sketch.  Gladly  would  we  have  given  a  more  particular 
account  of  the  early  residents  here,  the  manners  and  charac- 
teristics of  the  ministers  of  the  church  during  the  first  half 
of  the  century,  with  incidents  illustrative  of  the  social  and 
religious  life  of  those  days.  But  this  neither  our  sources  of 
information  nor  the  limits  prescribed  by  this  occasion  have 
allowed. 

Our  fathers  of  a  century  ago  did  not  dwell  in  the  world  of 
to-day — they  saw  not  the  America  of  to-day,  the  England  of 
to-day,  the  Germany  of  to-day,  the  Russia  of  to-day ;  they 
caught  but  glimpses  of  the  mighty  East  which  the  drawn 
curtains  reveal  to  us — India,  China,  Japan,  exposing  their 
hoary  institutions  and  usages  to  the  dissolving  and  quicken- 
ing light  of  our  Christian  civilization,  responding  to  the  forces 
which  are  hastening  the  new  era  to  all  the  nations.  Yet, 
though  we  sometimes  sing 

"  We  are  living,  we  are  dwelling 
In  a  grand  and  awful  time,'1 

we  forget  not  that  our  fathers  lived  in  great  days,  witnesses 
not  only  but  earnest  actors  in  the  progress  of  events  which 
were  directing  all  the  future. 

The  history  of  this  church  coincides  with  the  first  century 
of  our  national  existence.  Formed  three  years  after  the 
great  declaration,  when  the  burden  of  conflict,  hardship,  and 
uncertainty  was  at  its  heaviest,  it  saw  the  issue  of  the  struggle 
which  brought  upon  the  victorious  but  exhausted  colonies  the 
responsibility  of  organizing  a  nation,  of  possessing  and  devel- 
oping a  continent.  Peace  came  in  time  for  them  to  look  on 
the  storm  which  broke  over  Europe  in  the  French  Revolution 
and  the  wars  of  Napoleon.  Subsequently  came  the  second 
conflict  with  the  mother  country,  and  its  successful  issue  ; 
later,  the  war  with  Mexico,  with  the  consequent  enlargement 
of  our  territory;  the  sudden  and  rapid  settlement  of  Cali- 
fornia, adding  force  to  the  "  irrepressible  conflict"  between 
freedom  and  slavery,  which,  after  fifty  years  of  controversy, 


44 

precipitated  the  great  civil  war,  upon  which  we  look  back 
to-day  as  observers  on  the  shore  look  on  the  restless  waves 
when  the  thunder  of  the  storm  is  dying  far  off  on  the  sea. 

The  work  of  this  church,  inaugurated  at  such  a  time,  steadily 
prosecuted  through  the  course  of  this  unparalleled  century, 
is  witness  to  us  of  the  faith  of  our  fathers.  We  learn  what 
they  believed  concerning  the  living  forces  of  truth  and  right- 
eousness as  the  strength  and  hope  of  the  land — the  Christian 
home,  the  Christian  church,  the  word  of  God — the  leaven 
ever  working  and  ever  producing  life,  without  which  the  great 
actors  on  whom  the  world  gazes,  and  the  great  events  which 
fill  the  historic  page  will  accomplish  little  enduring  good. 

In  our  loyal  devotion  to  these  living,  spiritual  forces,  we 
honor  those  who  have  gone  before  us  for  the  work  they  did 
in  their  day,  and  consecrate  ourselves  to  its  perpetuation. 
We  have  built  and  dedicated  this  house  in  which  we  are  now 
assembled,  praying  that  the  glory  of  the  Lord  may  fill  it,  that 
multitudes  may  be  gathered  here  in  devout  worship  as  the 
years  go  by,  and,  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  truth  and  grace, 
may  be  instruments  of  His  saving  power  in  our  own  time 
and  in  times  to  come.  So  may  if  be  that  if  the  hundredth 
year  from  this  shall  open  on  our  world  and  its  busy  scenes, 
this  church  shall  still  remain  with  a  grander  record  of  deeds 
accomplished  and  blessings  received.  And  in  that  com- 
memoration which  spans  the  two  centuries  in  its  retrospect, 
may  it  be  ours  to  have  place  and  part — if  not  by  our  presence 
with  visible  form  and  feature  as  to-day,  if  not  as  living 
spirits,  looking  from  within  the  vail  and  joining  in  the  com- 
munion, even  as  now  we  love  to  think  of  those  who  have 
gone  before  us,  nevertheless,  by  the  perpetuated  influence  of 
our  faith  working  by  love,  according  to  God's  wise  order,  by 
which  every  true  life  carries  with  it  a  power  not  bounded  by 
time.  In  the  experience  of  this  faith-power,  endowing  all 
present  service  and  sacrifice  with  eternal  significance,  be  it 
ours  to  obtain  the  witness  that  we  are  righteous,  God  testify- 
ing of  our  gifts  ;  and  for  each  may  the  record  be  made,  to  be 
read  in  the  clearer  light  of  the  future  :  "  By  it  he  being  dead 
yet  speaketh." 


III. 
HISTORICAL  ADDRESS, 

By  Dea.  R.  R.  Dimock. 


Of  the  present  appearance  of  the  town  of  Manchester  I 
have  no  need  to  speak.  It  lies  spread  out  beiore  us  and 
around  us  like  a  beautiful  panorama,  with  all  its  varied  and 
beautiful  natural  scenery — its  forests  and  hills,  its  valleys  and 
streams.  We  look  with  satisfaction  and  delight  upon  its 
churches,  its  school-houses,  its  manufactories,  its  neat  and 
comfortable  homes,  its  smoothly-shaven  lawns,  its  delightful 
drives,  its  green  meadows,  and  cultivated  fields.  We  rejoice 
in  the  thrift  and  prosperity  that  seems  to  abound  within  her 
borders. 

But  it  has  not  always  been  so.  Let  us  turn  back  the  leaves 
of  history  and  read  the  record  of  a  hundred  years  ago,  and  we 
can  better  understand  and  appreciate  the  wonderful  changes 
that  have  been  wrought  during  the  century.  Go  back  still 
another  hundred  years  and  instead  of  these  neat  and  com- 
fortable homes  we  shall  find  the  rude  hut,  covered  with  skins 
and  barks,  and  that  then  these  beautiful  fields  were  a  dark 
and  gloomy  wilderness — the  haunts  of  savage  beasts  and 
savage  men.  The  native  Indian  roamed  through  these  for- 
ests, and  the  wild  deer  gamboled  upon  these  hills. 

Manchester  can  number  but  little  over  half  a  century  of 
years  since  it  assumed  the  dignity  of  a  town  ;  as  an  ecclesi- 
astical society  it  can  number  a  little  more  than  a  century. 
Seven  years  after  it  became  a  society,  this  church  was  organ- 
ized, and  together  they  constituted  the  Fifth  Congregational 
Church  and  Society  in  Hartford.    The  inhabitants,  scattered 


46 

here  and  there  over  these  hills  and  plains,  were  citizens  of 
Hartford,  enjoying  their  country  residences  and  rural  homes 
out  here  in  the  suburbs. 

Two  hundred  and  forty-four  years  ago,  Rev.  Thomas 
Hooker,  with  a  little  colony  of  one  hundred  persons,  consist- 
ing of  men,  women,  and  children,  bid  adieu  to  their  temporary 
homes  in  Newtown,  Mass.,  and  journeyed  on  foot,  driving 
their  cattle  before  them  and  carrying  Mrs.  Hooker,  who  was 
feeble,  on  a  litter,  one  hundred  miles  through  a  trackless 
wilderness,  with  no  guide  but  their  compass,  to  their  destined 
settlement  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut — at  first  naming 
the  settlement  Newtown,  and  afterwards  Hartford. 

The  first  purchase  of  lands  was  made  of  the  Connecticut 
Indians,  and  extended  six  miles  west  of  Connecticut  river 
and  three  miles  east  of  the  river,  and  was  bounded  north  by 
Windsor  settlement  and  south  by  Wethersfield.  The  first 
division  of  these  lands  among  the  proprietors  was  made  in 
1639.  The  land  west  of  the  river  was  divided  into  two  sec- 
tions, each  three  miles  wide  east  and  west,  and  called  the 
east  and  west  divisions.  The  plantations  east  of  the  river 
were  known  as  the  "  Three-mile  Lots,"  and  were  supposed  to 
extend  east  as  far  as  the  Hills-Town  road  in  Manchester. 
The  land  lying  east  of  the  Three-mile  Lots  was  known  as  the 
commons,  and  belonged  to  and  formed  a  part  of  the  hunting 
grounds  of  Joshua,  sachem  of  the  western  Niantic  Indians,  who 
was  the  third  son  of  Uncas,  sachem  of  the  Mohegan  Indians. 
Somewhere  about  the  year  1675  or  'j6,  Joshua  sold  to  Major 
Talcott  of  Hartford,  for  the  use  and  behoof  of  the  town  of 
Hartford,  a  tract  of  this  common  land,  extending  from  the 
aforesaid  "Three-mile  Lots"  five  miles  still  further  east,  the 
whole  width  of  the  town  of  Hartford  from  Windsor  to  Weth- 
ersfield, and  bounded  east  by  other  lands  claimed  by  Joshua, 
which  now  constitute  the  town  of  Bolton  ;  but  the  convey- 
ance was  not  made  till  after  Joshua's  death,  which  occurred 
in  May,  1676.  The  Governor  and  Council,  or  General  Court, 
nevertheless  claimed  and  exercised  authority  over  this  land 
under  and  by  virtue  of  the  Charter  of  King  Charles  II., 
and  in  1672  had  passed  an  order  extending  the  boundaries  of 


47 

Hartford  five  miles  further  east,  for  the  "  encouragement  of 
planters  to  plant  there,"  which  covered  the  same  ground 
afterwards  sold  to  Major  Talcott  by  Joshua.  In  1682,  after 
Joshua's  death,  Capt.  James  Fitch  of  Norwich,  and  Mr. 
Thomas  Buckingham  of  Saybrook,  administrators  on  the 
estate  of  said  Joshua,  sachem,  conveyed  the  same  by  deed 
to  Mr.  Seaborn  Nichols,  Serj.  Caleb  Stanley,  and  John  Marsh, 
selectmen  of  the  town  of  Hartford,  and  from  that  time  on- 
ward till  1772  it  was  known  as  the"  Five  Miles." 

This  tract  remained  common  and  undivided  land  (with  the 
exception  of  a  few  grants  of  the  General  Court  to  individuals 
for  services  rendered  the  Colony)  till  173 1,*  when  the  pro- 
prietors appointed  a  committee  to  lay  out  three  miles  and  one 
hundred  rods  of  said  land  on  the  east  side  next  to  Bolton,  the 
whole  width  of  the  town  of  Hartford,  from  Windsor  to  Glas- 
senburyf  bounds,  to  be  divided  to  the  original  proprietors  or 
their  heirs  according  to  their  rate  as  it  stood  recorded  on  the 
"  Town  Book,"  including  necessary  ways.  The  same  year 
this  committee  laid  out  four  strips  or  tiers  of  this  land,  each 
tier  being  two  hundred  and  forty  rods  or  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
wide,  running  north  and  south  parallel  with  Bolton  town  line 
from  Windsor  toGlassenbury.  Each  of  these  tiers  was  divided 
among  the  proprietors  in  proportion  to  their  rates  by  parallel 
east  and  west  lines,  reserving  a  strip  thirty  rods  wide  for  a 
highway  between  the  1st  and  2d  tiers  on  the  east,  also  a  forty 

*  In  1666  the  General  Court  ordered  that  four  men  and  horses  be  speedily 
sent  to  Springfield  to  accompany  such  as  should  be  sent  by  Capt.  Pinchon  to 
Fort  Albany  or  further  as  should  be  judged  meet,  to  "  atteine  certeine  under- 
standinge  concerninge  ye  motion  of  ye  French."  Corporal  John  Gilbert  was 
one  of  the  men  sent,  for  which  service  the  General  Court  in  1669  granted 
him  200  acres  of  land,  whereof  20  acres  might  be  meadow.  In  October, 
1672,  the  Court  appointed  James  Steele  and  Nathaniel  Willett  to  lay  out 
to  Corp1  John  Gilbert  his  grant,  and  they  in  March,  1673,  ^a'^  out  to  him  200 
acres  on  the  east  side  of  the  Great  River,  about  two  miles  eastwardly  from  Mi. 
Crow's  saw-mill,  upon  a  brook  called  Hop  Brook.  This  land  came  into  the 
possession  of  Joseph  and  Thomas  Gilbert,  sons  of  Corporal  John  aforesaid,  and 
in  1707,  one  hundred  acres  of  it  was  deeded  to  Tho3  Olcott,  jr.,  by  Joseph  Gil- 
bert as  administrator  of  Thof  Gilbert's  estate.  (This  land,  or  a  portion  of  it, 
has  remained  in  the  Olcott  family  172  years.) 

t  Old  orthography. 


48 

rods  highway  between  the  2d  and  3d  tiers,  and  a  thirty  rods 
highway  between  the  3d  and  4th  tiers  ;  the  whole  making 
three  miles  and  one  hundred  rods.  The  balance  of  the  unap- 
propriated five  mile  tract  lying  between  the  "  Three-mile 
Lots"  on  the  west  and  the  4th  tier  of  lots  in  the  former 
division  on  the  east,  remained  common  and  undivided  till 
1753,  when  it  was  distributed  among  the  proprietors  and 
their  representatives  by  Mr.  Samuel  Wells,  Nathaniel  Olcott, 
and  Josiah  Olcott,  a  committee  appointed  to  distribute  said 
lands  and  to  lay  out  suitable  roads  thereon. 

At  this  date  a  considerable  number  of  settlers  had  located 
upon  the  Five-Mile  purchase,  and  they  had  preaching  some 
portion  of  the  time.  Since  1748  they  had  been  allowed  their 
proportion  of  the  minister's  rate  not  exceeding  three  months 
in  a  year.  Previous  to  1748  they  paid  their  minister's  rate 
wholly  to  the  Third  Society  of  Hartford,  now  the  First  Society 
in  East  Hartford. 

The  early  settlers  of  the  colony  suffered  many  privations 
and  inconveniences,  and  were  for  a  long  time  almost  constantly 
annoyed  by  the  depredations  of  Indians,  requiring  many  of 
their  able-bodied  men  of  military  age  to  keep  them  in  check 
and  guard  the  lives,  property,  and  interests  of  the  settlers. 
Consequently,  during  the  first  one  hundred  years  after  the  set- 
tlement of  Hartford,  very  little  progress  was  made  in  literature 
or  mechanical  or  agricultural  improvements.  During  the 
second  century  after  the  settlement,  and  especially  towards 
its  close,  the  progress  in  these  particulars  was  more  rapid  ; 
thinking  minds  had  better  facilities  for  communicating  their 
thoughts  to  the  world,  the  results  of  inventive  genius  became 
more  common,  many  improvements  were  made  in  mechanics' 
tools  and  in  agricultural  implements,  and  the  press  and  the 
steam-engine  began  to  exert  a  tremendous  power  ;  but  at  the 
date  of  the  organization  of  this  ecclesiastical  society,  viz.,  in 
1772,  very  few  of  these  advantages  were  enjoyed  by  the  people. 
It  has  been  reserved  for  us  who  are  now  living  to  receive  the 
full  benefits  of  these  improvements,  and  to  enjoy  social,  civil, 
and  religious  privileges  equal  to,  if  not  greater  than,  any  other 
people  in  the  world.     We   can  truly  say,  "  Other  men  have 


49 

labored  and  we  have  entered  into  their  labors."  One  hundred 
years  ago  there  was  no  railroad  with  its  locomotive  and  train 
of  cars  whizzing  across  these  fields, — no  Hartford  bridge 
spanning  the  Great  River,— no  turnpike  roads  with  their 
equipments  of  stage-coaches  for  the  conveyance  of  travelers. — 
There  were  no  telegraph  arrangements  by  which  a  person 
could  send  a  message  to  any  part  of  the  country  and  get  an 
answer  back  in  about  the  same  time  it  would  take  to  copy  it ; — 
no  telephones  by  which  a  person  could  sit  in  his  office  or 
parlor,  and  converse  with  a  friend  or  listen  to  the  sweet  tones 
of  music  produced  in  a  distant  city  ; — but  there  was  a  recent 
arrangement  at  that  time,  by  which  a  gentlemen  in  Boston 
could  send  a  letter  to  Philadelphia  and  get  an  answer  back 
in  three  weeks,  the  year  round,  whereas  before  that  it  took 
six  weeks  in  the  winter  season.  The  popular  mode  of  travel 
was  then  on  foot  or  horseback ;  with  the  exception  of  govern- 
ment officers  and  public  men,  the  people  traveled  but  little 
except  to  meeting  and  to  mill.  The  meeting-house  was  a 
common  center,  where  the  scattered  population  could  meet 
once  a  week  and  listen  to  the  words  of  truth  and  exchange 
salutations.  At  a  later  day,  taverns  became  popular  places 
of  resort,  where  the  men  would  drop  in  of  a  week-day  evening 
to  learn  the  news  and  discuss  the  prominent  topics  of  the 
day — for  there  wasn't  a  daily  newspaper  in  all  the  colonies, 
and  only  one  weekly  newspaper  in  Connecticut.  Sabbath 
observance  was  very  strict,  and  in  those  days  people  were 
compelled  by  law  to  go  to  meeting,  with  a  severe  penalty  for 
its  non-observance,  so  on  a  Sunday  morning  the  people  of  all 
ages  and  both  sexes  might  be  seen  issuing  from  their  several 
homes,  some  in  the  traveled  ways,  some  cross-lots,  some  on 
foot,  some  on  horseback,  all  tending  towards  the  meeting- 
house.  The  head  of  the  family  would  mount  his  horse  and 
ride  round  to  the  horse  block  which  every  genteel  family  was 
supposed  to  have,  from  which  his  good  wife  would  take  her 
seat  on  the  pillion  behind  him,  and  thus  they  would  jog  along 
on  their  winding  way,  through  forests,  over  plains,  and  often 
across  bridgeless  streams,  to  attend  divine  service. 

The  Puritan  fathers  had  left  their  native  land  and  sought 
7 


SO 

a  country  where  they  might  enjoy  freedom  to  worship  God, 
freedom  of  conscience,  where  they  might  have  a  church 
without  a  bishop  and  a  State  without  a  king,  and  the  early 
settlers  of  Hartford  partook  of  the  same  spirit,  and  kept  a 
strict  watch  over  the  morals  of  the  people.  The  General 
Court  assumed  jurisdiction  in  all  matters,  social,  civil,  moral, 
and  religious,  and  made  and  enforced  such  laws  as  in  their 
wisdom  they  deemed  necessary  to  restrain  men  from  vice  and 
cause  them  to  properly  observe  the  Sabbath,  and  avoid  all 
prodigality  in  living  and  superfluity  in  dress  The  following 
extracts  from  the  Colony  Records  serve  as  examples  : 

In  1 72 1  it  was  enacted,  "That  whatsoever  person  shall  not 
duly  attend  the  public  worship  of  God  on  the  Lord's  day  in 
some  congregation  by  law  allowed,  unless  hindered  by  sickness 
or  otherwise  necessarily  detained,  and  be  thereof  convicted, 
shall  incur  the  penalty  of  five  shillings  money  for  every  such 
offense  "  ;  and  it  was  further  enacted  that  whatsoever  person 
should  go  from  his  or  her  place  of  abode  on  the  Lord's  day, 
unless  to  or  from  the  public  worship  of  God  attended  or  to 
be  attended  upon  by  such  person  in  some  place  by  law 
allowed  for  that  end,  or  unless  it  be  on  some  other  work  nec- 
essary then  to  be  done,  and  be  thereof  convicted,  shall  incur 
the  penalty  of  five  shillings  money  for  every  such  offense. 

In  1709  it  was  "enacted  that  if  any  single  persons  being 
boarders  or  sojourners,  or  any  young  persons  whatsoever, 
under  the  government  of  parents  or  masters  within  this  Col- 
ony shall  convene  or  meet  together  in  company  on  the  street 
or  elsewhere,  on  the  evening  after  the  Sabbath  or  any  public 
day  of  fast  or  any  lecture  day,  and  be  thereof  duly  convicted, 
shall  pay  a  fine  of  five  shillings,  or  be  set  in  the  stocks  two 
hours  for  every  offence — provided  this  act  should  not  be 
taken  or  construed  to  hinder  the  meeting  of  such  single  and 
young  persons  upon  any  religious  occasion."  At  an  earlier 
date  the  court  prescribed  laws  for  dress,  and  affixed  a  penalty 
of  ten  shillings  if  any  person  should  make,  wear,  or  buy  any 
apparel  exceeding  the  quality  and  condition  of  their  persons 
and  estates,  or  that  was  beyond  the  necessary  end  of  apparel 
for  covering  or  comeliness  ;    and   the  reason   given  in   the 


5i 

preamble  was  that  wearing  gold  and  silver  lace,  or  gold  or 
silver  buttons,  silk  ribbons,  or  other  superfluous  trimmings 
was  unbecoming  a  wilderness  condition  and  the  profession  of 
the  gospel,  whereby  the  rising  generation  was  in  danger  of 
being  corrupted.  Thus  rigidly  did  our  fathers  provide  for  the 
moral  and  religious  welfare  of  the  people,  the  maintenance  of 
the  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  and  the  proper  observance  of 
the  Sabbath.  The  true  worship  of  God  with  them  appar- 
ently occupied  the  foreground. 

Ecclesiastical    Societies 

Were  formed  as  the  population  increased  and  necessity  or 
convenience  demanded.  In  1636  the  first  or  original  society 
provided  themselves  with  a  meeting-house,  in  which  the 
church,  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hooker  for  a  pastor,  worshiped 
for  many  years.  It  was  a  quaint  looking  structure,  square  in 
form,  one  story  high,  with  a  steep,  square  roof  in  the  form  of 
a  pyramid,  and  the  whole  very  roughly  finished.  The  first 
society  was  located  north  of  the  Little  river.  In  due  time  a 
second  society  was  formed,  and  a  meeting-house  built  south 
of  the  Little  river,  or  Rivulet,  as  it  was  called  at  that  time, 
somewhere  near  the  south  park. 

In  1694  the  planters  on  the  east  side  of  the  Great  river 
petitioned  the  General  Court  to  have  the  liberty  of  a  minister, 
for  reasons  therein  set  forth.  Upon  which  the  General  Court 
recommended  to  both  societies  west  of  the  river  to  meet 
together  and  consider  the  proposal,  and  afterwards  the  Court 
passed  the  following  order,  as  appears  of  record  : 

"Whereas,  at  a  meeting  of  the  town  of  Hartford  Oct.  5, 
1694,  in  compliance  with  the  recommendation  of  the  General 
Court  May  last,  sundry  of  both  Societies  being  met  together 
and  the  rest  being  warned  to  meet,  we  have  considered  the 
motion  of  our  neighboures  on  the  east  side,  and  that  in  refer- 
ence to  their  desire  of  settling  a  ministry  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river,  we  doe  declare  we  prize  their  good  company  and 
cannot  without  their  help  well  and  comfortably  carry  on  or 
maintayne  the  ministry  in  the  two  Societies  here,  yet  upon 
the  earnestness  of  our  neisrhboures  to  be  distinct  because  of 


C2 

the  trouble  and  danger  they  complayn  they  are  exposed  to 
by  coming  over  to  the  public  worship  here,  which  difficulty 
they  could  not  but  foresee  before  they  settled  where  they 
are,  and  therefore  is  of  less  wayte  to  us,  and  upon  these  con- 
siderations we  cannot  be  free  to  parte  with  our  good  neigh- 
boures,  yet  if  the  Gen1  Court  see  cause  to  overrule  in  this 
case,  we  must  submit  ;  but  we  desire,  if  so  it  must  be,  that 
then  those  of  the  good  people  of  the  East  side  that  desire  to 
continue  with  us  of  the  West  side  shall  so  doe,  and  that  all 
the  land  on  the  East  that  belongs  to  any  of  the  people  of  the 
West  side  shall  pay  to  the  ministry  of  the  West  side,  and 
that  all  the  land  of  the  West  side  shall  pay  to  the  ministry  of 
the  West  side,  though  it  belong  to  the  people  of  the  East 
side.  •  Also  it  is  to  be  understood  that  the  good  people  of  the 
East  side  shall  pay  to  the  ministry  of  the  West  side  till  the 
people  there  have  an  orthodox  minister  amongst  them  ;  and 
at  all  times  when  they  shall  have  no  such  minister  amongst 
them,  they  shall  pay  to  the  West  side  Ministry  :  Upon  these 
foregoing  conditions  and  articles  the  Court  grants  them 
liberty  to  procure  and  settle  an  Orthodox  Minister  on  the 
East  side  the  great  river  in  Hartford." 

Under  this  grant,  the  people  east  of  the  river  procured  a 
house  and  preaching.  In  1701  the  General  Court  granted 
them  liberty  to  embody  themselves  in  church  estate,  they 
obtaining  consent  of  the  neighboring  churches. 

In  accordance  therewith  the  people  this  side  the  river  or- 
ganized a  church  and  constituted  the  third  church  and  society 
in  Hartford  till  1783,  when  all  that  part  of  Hartford  lying 
east  of  the  river  was  set  off  and  incorporated  as  the  Town 
of  East  Hartford.  The  first  and  second  meeting-houses  were 
located  near  the  junction  of  the  country  road  with  the  north 
and  south  road  laid  out  on  the  upland  east  of  the  Great  river 
from  Windsor  to  Glassenbury  bounds  about  the  year  1670, 
for  the  planters  to  get  to  their  farms,  which  is  now  East 
Hartford  street.  The  country  road  began  at  the  ferry  on 
this  side  the  river  nearly  opposite  State  street,  and  ran  across 
the  meadow,  nearly  in  the  direction  it  runs  now,  till  it  inter- 
sected  this  north  and  south  road   near  the  Hockanum  river, 


53 

and  continued  cast  about  as  it  now  runs  from  Sisson's  cor- 
ner to  the  end  of  the  Three-mile  lots  near  the  place  where 
Mr.  Frank  Spencer  now  lives.  In  the  year  171  1  the  General 
Assembly  granted  the  petition  of  the  west  division  farmers 
to  be  set  off  and  constituted  a  separate  parish.  This  was 
the  fourth, ecclesiastical  society  in  Hartford,  and  was  bounded 
north  by  Windsor,  south  by  Wethersfield,  west  by  Farming- 
ton,  and  extended  east  to  the  east  end  of  the  "  West  Division 
Lots."  (It  will  be  remembered  that  the  town  extended  six 
miles  west  of  the  river  and  three  miles  east.)  This  territory 
was  first  settled,  and  in  the  first  division  among  the  proprie- 
tors in  1639  the  'an(l  west  of  the  Great  river  comprised 
two  sections — the  east  and  west  divisions,  and  the  west  divi- 
sion is  now  embraced  in  the  bounds  of  West  Hartford.  The 
people  east  of  the  river  for  three-quarters  of  a  century  wor- 
shiped in  the  old  meeting-house  located  at  the  lower  end  of 
Fast  Hartford  street,  and  there  was  no  other  church  organi- 
zation till  after  the  Parish  of  Orford  was  constituted  and  a 
church  organized  here  in  1779 — seven  years  after  the  parish 
was  set  off. 

I  think  the  Rev.  John  Rood  ministered  to  the  people  before 
and  after  the  church  east  of  the  river  was  organized,  about 
the  year  1701,  and  about  this  time  a  house  was  built  for  the 
minister.  The  Rev.  Samuel  Woodbridge  was  pastor  from 
171 1  to  1746,  a  period  of  thirty-five  years.  He  was  succeeded 
by  the  Rev.  Fliphalet  Williams,  who  labored  with  the  people 
in  word  and  doctrine  from  1747  to  1795,  a  period  of  forty- 
eight  years.  The  freemen  met  regularly  every  year  in  society 
meeting  and  voted  the  minister's  salary,  and  attended  to  all 
the  minutiae  of  conducting  society  affairs,  as  appears  from 
the  following  votes  taken  from  the  society  records.  "At  a 
meeting  legally  warned  and  held  by  the  third  society  in  Hart- 
ford, Oct.  6.  1772,  'Voted  that  David  Hills  and  John  Risley 
procure  a  boat  to  carry  the  people  over  the  water  at  the 
Meeting  House  on  the  Sabbath.'  '  Voted  that  the  singing  in 
public  on  the  Sabbath  in  the  afternoon  be  without  reading 
line  by  line.'"  It  was  the  custom  in  those  days  to  line  off 
the    hymns — a    custom    made    necessary    by    reason    of  the 


54 

scarcity  of  books.  "  Voted  that  Selah  Norton  and  James 
Olmstead  be  choristers  to  assist  Capt.  Pitkin  in  setting  the 
tunes."  In  1779,  "Voted  Rev.  Williams  ,£90,  to  be  paid  in 
money  or  grain  as  follows,  viz.  :  wheat  at  6/,  rye  4/,  Indian 
corn  3/,  or  beef  and  pork  in  like  proportion,  or  in  silver  at 
6/8  the  ounce,  or  in  gold,  or  in  Continental  bills;  also  ^25 
for  firewood  in  like  manner."  The  above  prices  for  grain, 
etc.,  were  called  regulation  prices,  being  established  by  law. 
The  society  of  Orford  passed  similar  votes  from  year  to  year 
in  making  provision  for  the  minister's  salary  so  long  as  the 
currency  remained  in  its  unsettled  condition.  The  first  vote 
passed  by  Orford  society,  at  a  society  meeting  warned  and 
held  Aug.  13,  1772,  was  to  build  a  meeting-house  for  public 
worship  in  said  Orford,  by  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  lawful 
voters  of  said  society.  It  was  afterwards  voted  that  said 
house  should  be  fifty-four  feet  long  and  forty  feet  wide.  The 
first  house  of  worship  on  the  Five  Miles  was  fitted  up  about 
the  year  1762,  and  stood  near  the  cluster  of  ancient  oaks  a 
few  rods  east  of  the  present  structure,  and  about  eighteen 
rods  northeast  from  the  meeting-house  built  soon  after  the 
society  was  incorporated. 

The  people  in  this  part  of  the  town  had  been  allowed  occa- 
sional preaching  from  1748  to  1763  ;  at  first,  three  months  in 
a  year,  and  afterwards  they  had  been  allowed  four  months 
winter  preaching  ;  but  in  1763,  upon  the  memorial  of  forty- 
two  persons,  leave  was  granted  the  people  of  the  Five  Miles 
to  have  preaching  seven  months  in  a  year  and  tax  themselves 
for  the  support  of  the  minister  ;  and  so  long  as  they  did  this 
they  were  exempt  from  paying  the  minister's  tax  to  the  east 
or  third  society.  In  the  memorial  of  these  forty-two  persons 
they  set  forth,  as  a  reason  that  their  prayer  should  be  granted, 
the  fact  that  they  had  provided  a  place  for  meeting  ;  and  the 
taxable  property  listed  that  year  was  ^3,000  (about  $10,000). 

In  1767  they  petitioned  the  General  Assembly  to  be  incor- 
porated a  separate  ecclesiastical  society,  but  their  petition 
was  not  granted  ;  but  they  continued  to  file  their  petitions 
from  year  to  year,  and  as  often  had  leave  to  withdraw  till 
1772,  when  their  petition   was   granted,  and  the  Five  Miles 


55 

was  incorporated  as  a  separate  society  by  the  name  of  the 
Parish  of  Orford,  and  was  bounded  north  by  Windsor  bounds, 
east  by  Bolton  town  line,  south  by  Glassenbury,  and  west  by 
a  line  drawn  across  the  Town  of  Hartford  from  Windsor  to 
Glassenbury  parallel  with  the  west  boundary  line  of  the  Town 
of  Bolton,  and  five  and  one-half  miles  west  of  the  same, 
which  comprised  all  the  territory  embraced  in  the  Town  of 
Manchester,  except  Oakland  district.  The  General  Assembly 
appointed  a  committee  to  affix  a  site  for  a  meeting-house  ;  but 
the  committee  did  not  act,  and  application  was  made  to  the 
County  Court  for  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  affix  a 
place  ;  and  a  committee  was  appointed  and  affixed  a  place 
which  was  unsatisfactory  ;  and  application  was  made  to  the 
court  for  a  second  committee,  which  was  refused.  Where- 
upon, at  the  May  session  in  1773,  Messrs.  Timothy  Cheney, 
Richard  Pitkin,  and  Ward  Woodbridge,  agents  for  Orford 
society,  presented  a  memorial  to  the  General  Assembly  set- 
ting forth  that  "Their  Honors  in  tender  regard  to  the  happi- 
ness and  welfare  of  the  memorialists  were  pleased  to  establish 
them  an  ecclesiastical  society,  and  that  they  soon  agreed,  in 
due  form,  to  build  a  meeting-house,  and  applied  to  the  County 
Court  for  a  committee  to  affix  the  place  for  that  pupose  ;  that 
said  committee  came  out  and  affixed  a  place  without  notice 
to  the  east  part  of  the  society,  and  they  fixed  on  a  side-hill 
in  a  very  inconvenient  and  very  disgusting  place,  praying 
that  the  stake  may  be  stuck  further  east,  at  or  near  the  point 
where  the  four  roads  come  together."  After  a  long  discussion 
upon  this  memorial  in  both  Houses,  a  committee,  consisting 
of  Charles  Webb  and  others,  was  appointed  to  view  the  prem- 
ises, affix  a  place,  and  report.  On  the  2d  day  of  June,  1773, 
this  committee  reported  that  they  had  fixed  the  stake  at  about 
the  middle  of  a  thirty-rod  highway  running  north  and  south 
from  Glassenbury  to  Windsor,  about  eighteen  rods  southwest- 
ward  from  the  old  meeting-house.  The  report  was  accepted, 
and  in  October  of  the  same  year  the  society  voted  to  build 
on  the  site  reported  by  the  committee,  and  the  next  year, 
1774,  the  Assembly  reviewed  the  matter  and  instructed  the 
society  to  build  on  the  place  affixed,  and  have  the  stake  stuck 


56 

by  said  committee  included  within  the  sills  of  said  house. 
The  people  began  to  make  preparation  for  building,  and  in 
1776  the  frame  was  raised,  and  after  some  delay  it  was  cov- 
ered ;  but  on  account  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  which  occupied  the  attention  of  the  people  to  a 
great  extent,  and  greatly  disturbed  the  finances,  it  remained 
in  an  unfinished  condition  for  a  long  time,  having  no  pews 
and  only  rough  slab  or  plank  seats.  Up  to  this  time  there 
had  been  no  church  organization  in  Orford  society.  Accord- 
ing to  the  record  the  church  was  organized  in  1779,  during 
the  darkest  period  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  It  was  about 
this  time  that  New  Haven  and  East  Haven  were  plundered 
by  the  British,  and  Fairfield  and  Norwalk  and  Greens  Farms 
were  wantonly  burned.  It  was  a  time  distinguished  for 
nothing  decisive  on  the  part  of  the  Americans  or  British,  but 
every  thing  pertaining  to  the  final  result  of  the  war  seemed 
to  hang  in  doubt.  It  was  a  time  of  great  financial  embar- 
rassment. Continental  money  had  depreciated  in  value  so 
that  on  the  29th  day  of  July,  1779, — the  date  of  the  organiza- 
tion,— one  silver  dollar  was  worth  sixteen  dollars  of  Conti- 
nental currency  ;  and  in  March  following,  one  dollar  in  silver 
was  worth  forty  of  currency — so  rapidly  did  the  currency 
depreciate.  These  financial  discouragements,  combined  with 
the  general  gloom  and  despondency  of  the  people,  caused  the 
completion  of  the  meeting-house  to  be  delayed.  But  as  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Northrop  expresses  it  in  his  historical  sermon 
preached  in  1840,  "It  was  finally  finished  after  the  approved 
models  of  ancient  inconvenience   and  discomfort." 

This  meeting-house  was  occupied  as  a  house  of  worship 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  till  1826,  when  the  third  church  build- 
ing was  erected  a  few  rods  to  the  northeast  of  the  former 
one,  nearly  on  the  ground  where  the  present  structure  now 
stands,  and  the  old  one  was  torn  down.  After  the  third 
church  building  had  been  occupied  about  twelve  years  it  was 
raised  up,  somewhat  remodeled,  and  a  basement  room  finished 
underneath  to  be  used  for  town  purposes,  conference  meet- 
ings, schools,  etc.  Previous  to  this  the  body  of  the  church 
had   been   used  to  hold   town  meetings  since  the  town  was 


57 

incorporated,  or  rather  since  the  church  was  built :  and  while 
it  was  undergoing  the  change,  the  Methodist  meeting- 
house, which  stood  a  short  distance  east  of  the  Congrega- 
tional house,  was  rented  at  eighteen  dollars  a  year,  and  used 
for  that  purpose. 

The  meeting-house  was  the  place  for  holding  town  meet- 
ings and  electors'  meetings  in  most  of  the  towns  in  the  Col- 
ony and  State  till  far  into  the  present  century — a  custom,  we 
trust,  that  will  henceforth  be  and  remain  among  the  things 
that  were.  This  old  house  of  worship  that  we  have  just  now 
left  and  turned  over  to  other  than  strictly  pious  uses  is  still 
dear  to  the  people.  For  more  than  half  a  century  it  has  been 
the  Sabbath  home  of  such  as  delight  in  the  Lord's  house,  and 
for  forty  years  since  her  exaltation  she  has  stood  like  a  watch- 
tower  on  the  wall,  her  tall  spire  pointing  the  wayfarer  towards 
heaven,  and  upon  each  returning  Sabbath  opening  wide  her 
doors,  extending  the  invitation  to  all,  and  welcoming  all  to 
come  and  worship  at  her  altars.  There  the  gospel  message 
has  been  proclaimed  from  the  lips  of  God's  living  ministers, 
and  the  old,  old  story  of  the  cross  and  of  a  Saviour's  love,  oft 
repeated,  has  fallen  upon  the  ear  of  the  anxious  inquirer  after 
truth  and  salvation.  There  many  have  yielded  to  the  Spirit's 
invitation,  saying,  "  This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it."  Many  have 
bowed  before  her  altars  and  publicly  and  professedly  conse- 
crated themselves  to  God  and  His  service,  solemnly  promising 
to  observe  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  and  live  sober  and 
godly  lives  in  this  present  world.  Many  who  have  worshiped 
God  there  in  His  earthly  sanctuary  have  one  after  another  bid 
adieu  to  earth,  and,  we  trust,  are  now  worshiping  in  the  inner 
sanctuary  on  high.  Many  of  the  fathers  and  mothers  and 
friends  with  whom  we  have  there  sat  at  the  table  of  our  com- 
mon Lord,  we  hope  to  meet  on  the  other  shore,  where  we  may 
enjoy  a  more  perfect  and  blessed  communion.  Many  who 
still  remain  can  say  with  the  Psalmist,  "  Lord,  I  have  loved 
the  habitation  of  Thy  house  and  the  place  where  Thine  honor 
dwelleth,  and  who  hope  to  be  among  the  number  of  those 
whom  the  Lord  shall  count  when  He  writeth  up  the  people, 
that  this  man  was  born  there."  Yes,  we  love  the  old  church 
8 


58 

edifice  still  ;  we  love  her  sacred  walls,  scarred  and  discolored 
though  they  be  through  age  and  long  service  ;  we  love  her 
for  her  associations  and  precious  memories,  and  though 
somewhat  humiliated,  being  brought  down  from  her  high 
position  and  bereft  of  her  lofty  spire,  we  desire  to  utter  no 
word  of  reproach — we  loved  her  in  her  exaltation,  we  love 
her  in  her  humiliation  ;  we  cherish  her  memory  for  what  she 
has  been,  and  have  reserved  for  her  a  corner  of  our  family 
lot,  where  she  has  been  removed,  and  where  we  can  resort  as 
friends  resort  to  the  place  where  their  loved  ones  are  laid 
away,  and  look  upon  her  as  a  monument  of  departed  worth. 

For  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  century  this  was  the  only 
Congregational  church  and  society  in  this  section,  and  during 
that  period  the  people  from  the  north  and  the  south,  the  east 
and  the  west,  congregated  here  for  worship  ;  and  in  common 
with  most  churches  it  has  had  its  dark  periods  and  its  bright, 
its  seasons  of  unfruitfulness  and  its  seasons  of  abundant  har- 
vests ;  so  that  on  the  whole  it  has  been  a  prosperous  and 
growing  church,  and  its  numbers  increased,  so  that  in  process 
of  time  some  of  the  brethren  spake  unto  the  other  brethren 
and  said,  "  Behold  now  the  place  where  we  dwell  with  thee  is 
too  strait  for  us.  Let  us  go,  we  pray  thee,  unto  the  North 
Village,  that  lieth  upon  the  Hockanum,  and  take  thence  every 
man  a  beam,  and  let  us  make  us  a  place  there  where  we  may 
dwell."  So  the  people  answered  and  said,  "Go  ye."  And  they 
went  and  cut  down  trees,  and  provided  wood,  and  brick,  and 
stone,  and  built  them  a  house  at  the  North  Village.  And  in 
the  first  month,  on  the  third  day  of  the  month,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-one,  the  scribes 
and  elders  gave  letters  to  the  brethren  unto  the  council  at 
the  North  Village,  and  on  the  eighth  day  of  the  same  month 
three  score  and  seven  members  of  this  ancient  church  united 
with  twenty-five  members  from  other  churches,  entered 
into  covenant  obligations  with  each  other  and  were  recog- 
nized by  the  council  called  for  that  purpose  as  a  distinct 
Christian  church  ;  and  on  the  same  day  they  dedicated  their 
new  house  of  worship  to  the  service  of  Almighty  God. 

This  branch  which  was  then  severed  from  the  old  parent 


59 

stem  has  been  like  a  vine  planted  by  the  rivers  of  water,  a 
growing  and  prosperous  vine. 

Although  the  members  of  the  old  church  who  remained 
parted  with  their  Christian  friends  and  co-laborers  with  great 
reluctance,  yet  it  seemed  best  it  should  be  so  ;  and  it  was 
and  is  no  doubt  a  comforting  thought,  and  a  source  of  joy  to 
the  members  of  both  churches,  that  though  separated  they 
are  not  alienated  ;  that  it  was  the  separation  of  friends  and 
not  of  enemies  ;  that  we  still  have  common  interests  ;  that 
our  affection  for  each  other  as  Christians  is  neither  abated 
nor  diminished,  and  that  we  still  regard  each  other  as  mem- 
bers of  the  same  family,  the  one  occupying  the  old  home,  the 
other  having  removed  to  a  new  one. 

We  feel  grateful  to  all  our  friends  who  have  and  do  still 
manifest  an  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  old  Center  Church. 
We  thank  them  for  their  sympathy,  their  kind  and  encouraging 
words  and  deeds.  And  to  those  friends  especially  who  have 
given  us  valuable  pecuniary  aid  in  the  erection  of  our  new 
church  edifice  we  tender  our  hearty  thanks  ;  we  assure  them 
their  gifts  are  appreciated. 

And  finally  we  welcome  all  our  friends  present  to-day  who 
have  come  in  to  rejoice  with  us  as  we  enter  upon  the  second 
century  of  our  church  existence  with  a  new,  chaste,  and 
beautiful  house  of  worship. 


IV. 

MINISTERS  FROM  THE  PARISH. 


Allen  Olcott. 


He  was  brother  to  Josiah  Olcott,  Jr.,  who  was  one  of  the 
original  members  of  this  church.  Both  were  sons  of  Josiah 
Olcott,  who  was  a  descendant  in  the  fourth  generation  from 
Thomas  Olcott,  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  the  town  of 
Hartford.  Allen  Olcott  was  born  October  5,  1746,  and  was 
contemporary  with  Benajah  Phelps,  the  first  pastor  of  the 
church.  He  was  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1768  ;  was 
ordained  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Farmington 
in  or  about  the  year  1788,  successor  to  the  Rev.  Timothy 
Pitkin.  He  was  married  to  Cynthia  Hooker,  a  descendant 
of  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,  first  minister  of  Hartford,  June  11, 
1792.  He  died  at  East  Hartford,  June  11,  181 1,  aged  64. 
He  was  the  father  of  Sidney  Olcott,  now  one  of  the  oldest 
residents  of  the  town  of  Manchester. 

RODOLPHUS  LANDFEAR. 

Rodolphus  Landfear,  son  of  David  and  Lucinda  (Lord) 
Landfear,  was  born  November  2,  1 794 ;  became  a  member  of 
this  church  May  6,  1812  ;  was  graduated  at  Yale  College  in 
1 82 1  ;  completed  the  course  of  theological  study  at  Andover 
in  1824;  was  installed  pastor  of  the  church  at  Montville, 
Conn.,  August  26,  1829,  having  been  ordained  as  an  evan- 
gelist in  Hartford  the  year  preceding.  He  was  dismissed  at 
Montville  May  30,  1832,  and  "subsequently  labored  in  various 
places  as  stated  supply — Bozrahville,  Westford,  Andover  in 
this  State,  in  Boston  and  Worcester,  Mass.,  in  western  New 
York  as   a  home  missionary.     He  was  also  for  two  years 


6i 

engaged  in  Bible  and  Sunday-school  work.  After  remitting 
the  work  of  the  ministry,  he  resided  for  several  years  in  this 
his  native  town,  and  was  for  a  time  one  of  the  deacons  of 
this  church.  From  this  place  he  removed  to  Hartford,  where 
he  has  since  for  many  years  resided.  In  a  letter  referring  to 
his  inability  to  be  present  at  this  anniversary  on  account  of 
many  infirmities,  he  says  :  "  I  retain  a  deep  interest  for  my 
native  town,  and  my  tears  flow  now  as  I  call  to  mind  many 
scenes  which  I  passed  through  there,  and  remember  old  asso- 
ciates and  relatives  of  my  generation,  especially  the  church 
with  which  I  first  entered  into  covenant  and  took  sweet 
counsel  as  we  went  to  the  house  of  God  in  company,  nearly 
all  of  whom  are  now  gone,  I  trust,  to  the  church  triumphant." 

Anson  Gleason. 

Anson  Gleason,  son  of  Moses  and  Tryphena  (Case)  Glea- 
son, was  born  May  2,  1797.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he 
became  the  subject  of  renewing  grace  while  residing  in  Hart- 
ford, and  united  with  the  Center  church,  then  under  the 
pastoral  care  of  Dr.  Hawes,  on  the  first  Sabbath  in  June, 
18 19.  Four  years  later  he  went  as  a  missionary  among  the 
Choctaw  Indians,  then  in  Mississippi,  traveling  the  entire 
distance  on  horseback  in  the  winter  of  1823.  He  continued 
his  labors  in  the  Indian  country  till  the  tribe  was  removed  to 
the  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi,  about  1832.  Returning 
at  this  time  to  Connecticut,  he  settled  among  the  Mohegan 
Indians  living  between  Norwich  and  New  London.  Here  a 
church  was  formed  in  1833.  Mr.  Gleason  was  ordained  as 
the  minister  of  this  church  April  1,  1835,  and  continued  his 
useful  labors  in  this  field  for  a  period  of  sixteen  years.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  visited  the  Choctaws  again  in  1845-6,  taking 
out  a  company  of  teachers,  and  remained  about  six  months, 
preaching  at  the  various  missionary  stations,  and  was  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  a  glorious  revival  of  religion  in  connection 
with  his  labors  there. 

He  was  subsequently  District  Secretary  of  the  A.  B.  C. 
F.  M.  in  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont  for  three  years,  when 
he  again  engaged   in  missionary  service,  this  time  among  the 


62 

Seneca  Indians  in  western  New  York,  remaining  with  them 
ten  years.  He  was  afterwards  engaged  as  city  missionary  in 
Rochester,  N.  Y.  ;  then  in  Utica,  from  which  place  he  re- 
moved to  enter  upon  similar  service  in  the  City  of  Brooklyn, 
where,  in  his  eighty-third  year,  he  still  continues,  hoping  that 
his  missionary  work  is  not  yet  at  an  end. 

Mr.  Gleason's  life  has  been  truly  distinguished,  not  only 
for  its  long  continuance,  but  also  for  the  ardor  and  energy 
which  he  has  brought  to  the  Lord's  service  in  all  the  fields 
he  has  occupied.  The  prayer  of  his  earnest  heart  still  is : 
"  O  for  revival  showers  in  all  the  churches  !  "  Many  of  the 
Lord's  humble  ones,  whom  the  world  knows  not,  will  rejoice 
for  ever  for  their  knowledge  of  the  Saviour's  name  and  the 
riches  of  the  Saviour's  blessing,  brought  to  them  by  this 
good  and  faithful  servant,  who  waits  a  little  longer  for  the 
Master's  final  "  Well  done ! "  Rev.  James  Anderson,  in  a 
recent  discourse  reviewing  his  own  ministry  of  fifty  years  in 
Manchester,  Vt.,  speaks  thus  of  his  early  friend :  "  Rev.  Anson 
Gleason,  with  unabated  warmth  and  zeal  at  his  advanced  age 
still  pursues  his  ministry  at  large,  ready  for  every  good  word 
and  work,  especially  in  visiting  the  poor  and  sick,  and  com- 
forting with  his  presence  and  prayers  a  great  many  departing 
saints,  going  down  with  them  to  the  banks  of  the  river  while 
signalling  to  them  on  the  other  side  that  another  pilgrim  is 
passing  over." 

Nelson  Bishop. 

Nelson  Bishop,  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  (Chapman) 
Bishop,  was  born  November  20,  1802  ;  became  a  member  of 
this  church  April  29,  1821  ;  studied  at  Bangor  Theological 
Seminary,  1 823-1 827  ;  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  Clinton,  Maine,  November  19,  1828  ;  on  account 
of  failing  health  through  overwork,  was  dismissed  August  24, 
1834.  Having  spent  four  years  in  study  at  Andover,  he 
became  pastor  at  Wethersfield,  Vt.,  November  19,  1839.  He 
was  dismissed  February  22,  1842,  to  become  associate  editor 
of  the  Vermont  Chronicle,  which  place  he  held  till  January  1, 
1866,  when  he  became  associate  editor  of  the  Boston  Recorder, 
and  served  there  till  that  paper  was  merged  in  the  Congrega- 


63 

tionalist,  in  1869.  He  was  subsequently  engaged  in  Bible 
distribution  in  Vermont,  and  acted  as  agent  for  the  Congre- 
gationalist.  He  died,  after  a  brief  illness,  of  pneumonia,  at 
East  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt.,  January  10,  1871,  aged  69  years  and 
1  ]  months.  He  was  buried  at  Windsor,  Vt.,  the  place  of  his 
residence. 

Ralph  Perky. 

Ralph  Perry,  son  of  Joseph  and  Lydia  (Kellogg)  Perry, 
was  born  December  20,  181  1.  He  made  a  profession  of 
religion  and  became  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
Jacksonville,  111.,  on  the  first  Sabbath  in  April,  1832.  He 
was  graduated  at  Illinois  College  in  1838;  studied  theology 
at  Yale  Theological  Seminary  ;  was  ordained  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church  at  Agawam,  Mass.,  January  3,  1844; 
was  dismissed  November  18,  1846,  and  was  reinstalled  De- 
cember 28,  1847.  He  continued  in  this  relation,  enjoying  a 
happy  and  useful  ministry,  until  August  26,  1874,  when  he 
was  laid  aside  by  severe  injuries  received  at  the  railroad 
crossing  in  Springfield.  Being  unable  to  resume  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  he  was  dismissed  September  27,  1S75,  after 
a  pastorate  of  more  than  thirty  years.  In  view  of  the  present 
occasion,  he  writes  expressing  the  hope  that  the  God  of  glory 
may  be  so  served  by  this  people  as  to  bless  them  largely  in 
temporal  and  spiritual  things.  He  further  says  :  "As  I  have 
not  resided  much  of  the  time  in  Manchester  since  my  child- 
hood, and  as  nearly  all  persons  with  whom  I  was  acquainted 
have  passed  away,  I  am  nearly  a  stranger  in  the  place,  but  I 
am  not  without  a  strong  interest  in  it  as  my  native  place,  and 
as  the  place  where  the  dust  of  my  Christian  parents  is  laid 
in  hope  of  a  glorious  resurrection." 

Chester  S.  Lyman. 
Chester  S.  Lyman,  son  "of  Chester  and  Mary  (Smith)  Ly- 
man, and  grandson  of  Dea.  Joseph  L.,  was  born  Jan.  13,  18 14; 
became  a  member  of  this  church  Jan.  1,  1832,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen;  was  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1837;  studied 
theology  at  Yale  Theological  Seminary  ;  was  pastor  of  First 
Congregational  Church,  New  Britain,  Feb.  15,  1843,  to  April 


64 

25,  1 845.  He  subsequently  resided  four  years  in  the  Sand- 
wich Islands  and  California,  engaged  in  explorations  and  sci- 
entific pursuits.  Since  1850  he  has  resided  in  New  Haven, 
and  since  1859  nas  been  a  professor  in  Yale  College. 

He  has  been  since  1859  President  of  the  Connecticut 
Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences;  since  1869,  an  honorary 
member  of  the  British  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  and  contributor  to  various  scientific  journals.  Since 
1858  he  has  been  a  deacon  of  the  First  Church  in  New 
Haven,  and  has  preached  occasionally. 

Allen  B.  Hitchcock. 

Allen  B.  Hitchcock,  son  of  David  H.  and  Elizabeth  M. 
Hitchcock,  was  born  in  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  March  20, 
1 8 14.  He  became  a  member  of  this  church  by  profession 
July  10,  183 1,  his  parents  having  united  by  letter  a  few 
months  previous.  He  was  graduated  at  Illinois  College  in 
1838  ;  studied  theology  three  years  at  Yale  Theological  Sem- 
inary ;  was  ordained  as  an  evangelist  in  New  Haven,  July  6, 
1841  ;  preached  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  1841  to  1844,  when  he 
removed  to  Moline,  111.,  where  he  organized  the  Congrega- 
tional church  of  which  he  had  charge  for  eighteen  years, 
resigning  in  1862.  During  the  remainder  of  his  life  he  suf- 
fered from  ill  health  and  preached  only  occasionally.  He 
died  Dec.  15,  1873.  A  notice  of  his  death,  published  at  the 
time,  referred  to  him  as  one  of  the  oldest  pioneers  of  Moline  ; 
as  a  man  of  remarkably  fine  qualities  and  education  ;  as  one 
of  the  best  geologists  of  the  State  ;  as  an  ardent  Abolitionist 
in  an  early  day  when  to  be  one  was  not  pleasant  ;  as  a  worker 
in  the  temperance  cause,  and  always  standing  on  the  right 
side  of  every  reform.  The  present  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Moline  says,  "  Mr.  Hitchcock  did  a  good  work  in  this  region, 
and  is  held  in  grateful  remembrance." 

Both  Mr.  Hitchcock  and  Mr.  Bishop  enjoyed  the  favor  of 
the  church  in  their  efforts  to  obtain  an  education,  and  received 
some  material  aid  as  the  records  show. 

Horace  Hitchcock  an  elder  brother,  and  Elizabeth  a  sister 
of  Allen  B.,  were  among  the  early  missionaries  of  the  Amer- 


65 

ican  Board  in  the  Sandwich  Islands.  H.  R.  Hitchcock,  a  son 
of  the  missionary,  was  a  commissioner  in  charge  of  the  Ha- 
waiian Exhibit  at  the  Centennial  Exposition  in  Philadelphia 
in  1876. 

Elisha  W.  Cook 

Elisha  W.  Cook,  son  of  Rev.  Elisha  B.  and  Esther  Wood- 
bridge  Cook,  was  born  July  28,  1816;  became  a  member  of 
this  church  Nov.  6,  1831  ;  was  graduated  at  Yale  College  in 
1837;  studied  theology  at  the  Yale  Theological  Seminary; 
was  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Haddam,  Nov. 
18,  1846,  to  May,  1852  ;  was  engaged  in  missionary  labor  in 
New  York  city  for  two  years  ;  was  pastor  at  Haydenville, 
Mass.,  June  14,  1S54,  to  April  6,  1858;  at  Townsend,  Mass., 
April  28,  1858,  to  Oct.  12,  1859;  at  Hopkinton,  N.  H., 
March  6,  1861,  to  Dec.  13,  1864. 

He  has  since  labored  at  different  places  in  the  West,  a 
part  of  the  time  at  Ripon,  Wis.,  where  he  now  resides. 

Frederick  Alvord. 

Frederick  Alvord  was  born  in  Bolton,  Dec.  5,  1828  ;  be- 
came a  member  of  this  church  in  July,  1845  '■>  was  graduated 
at  Yale  College  in  1855  ;  studied  theology  at  the  Theological 
Institute  then  at  East  Windsor.  He  was  pastor  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  Chicopee  Falls,  Mass.,  July  21,  1858,  to 
Nov.  5,  i860,  and  subsequently  resided  for  six  years  at 
Monson,  Mass.,  supplying  different  churches,  as  his  health 
allowed.  He  was  settled  Dec.  26,  1866,  as  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  church,  Darien,  Conn.,  remaining  till  June  8, 
1 8  '9.  Since  July  6,  1869,  he  has  been  pastor  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church  in  Nashua,  N.  H.,  with  the  blessing 
of  God  still  attending  his  labors  with  this  large  and  flourish- 
ing church. 

John  B.  Griswold. 

John  B.  Griswold,  son   of  Daniel  and  Anna  (Bunce)  Gris- 
wold, was  born  Nov.  11,  1830;  was  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
College  in  i860  and  at  Bangor  Theological  Seminary  in  1863. 
After  laboring  with  different  churches  for  several  years  as  a 
9 


66 

supply, he  was  ordained  as  an  evangelist  at  Talcottville,  Conn., 
Jan.  28,  1872.  He  was  soon  after  engaged  as  acting  pastor 
of  the  Union  Congregational  Church,  East  Hampton,  Conn. 
Here  he  remained  two  years  and  then  became  acting  pastor 
of  the  Congregational  church  in  Millington,  Conn.,  where  he 
is  still  engaged  in  active  and  successful  service. 

Charles  Griswold. 

Charles  Griswold,  son  of  Edward  and  Laura  (Hubbard) 
Griswold,  was  born  Oct.  7,  1832  ;  became  a  member  of  this 
church  in  July,  1843,  at  the  age  of  eleven  years.  At  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  he  went  west,  and  at  twenty-five,  having 
been  greatly  quickened  in  his  spiritual  life,  he  began  studying 
and  preaching,  his  previous  opportunities  for  education  hav- 
ing been  such  as  his  native  town  afforded.  He  was  received 
as  a  preacher  on  trial  into  the  Minnesota  Annual  Conference 
of  the  M.  E.  Church  in  Sept.,  i860;  was  ordained  deacon 
Sept.  21,  1862,  and  elder,  Sept.  11,  1864;  has  since  served 
six  years  as  presiding  elder  ;  the  remainder  of  the  time  as 
pastor  of  different  churches  In  May  of  the  current  year  he 
gave  up  his  pastoral  work  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  has 
received  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  and  since  leaving  the  active 
ministry  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  at 
Anoka,  Minn.,  the  place  of  his  last  charge 

Charles  N.  Lyman. 

Charles  N.  Lyman,  son  of  Diodate  B.  and  Eliza  (Vibbert) 
Lyman,  was  born  in  Hartford,  May  14,  1835  ;  became  a 
member  of  this  church  May  2,  1852  ;  was  graduated  at  Yale 
College  in  1859  \  studied  theology  at  Yale  Theological  Sem- 
inary ;  was  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Canton 
Center,  Oct.  29,  1862,  to  Sept.  21,  1868,  within  which  time 
he  was  chaplain  one  year  in  the  United  States  army.  Sub- 
sequently removing  West  he  was  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  Dunlap,  la.,  Dec.  16,  1868,  to  Jan.  1,  1871.  He 
then  removed  to  Onowa,  la.,  where  he  is  still  doing  efficient 
service  as  acting  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church.  He 
is  a  great-grandson  of  Dea.  Joseph  Lyman. 


67 

The  list  of  laborers  who  have  gone  from  this  church  to 
other  fields  may  also  include  the  following  :  Juliaette  Slate, 
afterwards  Mrs.  Charles  Stewart,  a  daughter  of  Dea.  John 
Slate,  was  for  several  years  a  teacher  in  the  Choctaw  nation 
in  the  employment  of  the  American  Board,  being  among 
those,  it  is  presumed,  whom  Mr.  Gleason  attended  to  that 
country  in  1845. 

Mary  B.  Knox,  daughter  of  Chester  J.  Knox,  and  wife  of 
Rev.  Charles  W.  Kilbon,  went  with  her  husband  in  1873  to 
South  Africa,  both  being  under  appointment  as  missionaries 
of  the  American  Board.  Since  that  time  they  have  been  in 
active  service,  and  are  at  present  stationed  at  Amanzimtote 
in  the  Zulu  Mission. 


68 


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VI. 

NAMES  OF  MINISTERS 

who  supplied  the  Congregational  church  in  Orford  when  it 
had  no  settled  pastor,  viz.  : 

From  1793  to  1800. 

Rev.  Allen  Olcott,  Rev.  Mr.  Betley, 

Rev.  Mr.  Boughman,  Rev.  Benj.  Boardman, 

Rev.  Mr.  Daney,  Rev.  John  Smith, 

Rev.  Mr.  Pines,  Rev.  Bassett. 

From  1808  to  18 14. 

Rev.  Wm.  Lockwood,  Rev.  Mr.  Sheldon, 

Rev.  Mr.  Sergeant,  Rev.  Mr.  Flliot, 

Rev.  Mr.  Marsh,  Rev.  Charles  Backus, 

Rev.  Mr.  Loomis,  Rev. Everett. 


VII. 

MEETING-HOUSES,  CHURCH  ORGANIZATIONS, 
AND  SCHOOLS. 

By  Dea.  R.  R.  Dimock. 


There  have  been  at  least  fourteen  meeting-houses  of  all 
denominations,  including  the  present  ones,  within  the  limits 
of  this  town  since  the  society  of  Orford  was  constituted,  viz.: 
five  Congregational,  four  Methodist  Episcopal,  two  Baptist, 
one  Episcopalian,  and  two  Roman  Catholic.  Religious  ser- 
vices have  also  been  held  in  Cheney  Brothers'  Hall.  We 
have  already  spoken  of  the  Congregational  houses  of  wor- 
ship, with  the  exception  of  the  one  we  occupy  to-day  for  the 
first  time  since  its  formal  dedication  to  the  worship  of  God. 
This  house  has  been  erected  the  present  year  (1879)  by  the 
First  Congregational  Society  at  a  cost  of  about  $8,000 — Mr. 
John  C.  Mead  of  Hartford,  being  the  architect  and  builder. 
It  stands  on  the  site  of  the  old  church  edifice  which  was  sold 
to  the  Town  of  Manchester,  and  moved  a  few  rods  to  the 
west  to  be  used  for  a  public  town  hall.  The  First  Congre- 
gational Church  is  now  under  the  pastoral  charge  of  Rev.  Silas 
Wright  Robbius,  and  the  Second  Church,  at  North  Manches- 
ter, is  under  the  pastoral  charge  of  Rev.  Norman  J.  Squires. 
The  First  Methodist  meeting-house  in  Orford  society  was  built 
in  1 794,  near  the  west  cemetery  in  this  town,  and  was  one  of 
the  earliest  built  in  the  colony.  Methodism  was  introduced 
into  New  York  as  early  as  1766,  and  had  spread  to  some  ex- 
tent through  the  middle  and  southern  colonies  before  its 
introduction  into  New  England.  In  the  spring  of  1789, 
Rev.  Jesse  Lee  came  to  Connecticut  under  the  auspices  of 


7i 

Bishop  Asbury  of  New  York,  and  on  the  26th  of  September 
of  the  same  year   formed   the  first  Methodist   class   in   the 
State,  at  Stratford.     The   next   year,  in    the   spring  of   1790, 
Mr.  Thomas  Spencer  invited  Rev.  George  Roberts,  a  Metho- 
dist clergyman,  to  preach  at  his  house  ;   and  in  August  fol- 
lowing a  Methodist   class  was  formed  at   the  house  of  Mr. 
Spencer,  consisting  of  himself,  Mr.  Richard  Keeney,  and  four 
women — six  in  all.     Such  was  the   origin   of  the  Methodist 
church  in  Manchester  ;  and  from   this  germ  have  grown  the 
two  flourishing  churches  with  which  this  town  is  now  blessed. 
Mr.  Spencer's  house  stood  a  few  rods  east  of  the  cemetery, 
and  the  meeting-house  a  few  rods  east  of  the  house.     The 
place  where  the  house   stood  is  still  visible,  and  the  ancient 
elm  that  stood  near  it  is  still  there,  though  it  no  longer  lives  ; 
its  life  juices  are  dried  out  and  its  limbs  have  perished,  yet 
it  still  stands  erect— dead  !    Some  of  the  oldest  inhabitants 
now  living    say   that   in    the    palmiest  days   of    this   church 
out-door    religious    services    were    sometimes    held    in    the 
cool    shade    of    this    stately    tree,    when    the    weather   was 
favorable  and   the    congregation    too  large    to    be   comfort- 
ably accommodated  inside.     In   1802  a  parsonage  was  built 
near  the  meeting-house  and  the   church  fairly  started  in  its 
career  of   usefulness.     It  made  gradual  progress,   receiving 
occasional  additions  and  enjoying  occasional  seasons  of  re- 
freshing, as  did  also  the  Congregational  church,  till  1 821,  when 
the  churches  were  greatly  blessed  by  a  general  outpouring  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.     Many  were  inquiring  what  they  should  do 
to  be  saved.     Solemn  and  crowded   meetings   were  held  in 
the  churches  on  the  Sabbath  and  at  different  places  during 
the  week.     The  old  brick  schoolhouse  at  Manchester  Green 
became  a  central  point  of  interest.     The  Rev.  Eben.  Blake 
and  Rev.  Daniel  Dorchester— Methodist  ministers— were  ac- 
tive and  zealous  laborers   and  conducted  meetings  there  in 
connection  with  others,  and  a  great  number  were  hopefully 
converted  and  professed  their  faith  in  Christ  as  a  sufficient 
Saviour.     As  a  result  of  this  awakening  many  were  added  to 
the   churches— some    uniting   with  the  Congregational  and 
some  with  the  Methodist— and  the  churches  were  enlarged 


72 

and  strengthened.  Another  result  of  this  revival  was  an 
awakened  desire  for  a  Methodist  meeting-house  more  central 
than  the  old  one,  and  the  next  year  (1822)  $1,000  was  pledged 
towards  the  building  of  one,  and  a  new  church  edifice  was 
commenced  and  built  at  the  center,  nearly  on  the  ground 
where  Mrs.  Huntington  now  resides.  The  old  meeting-house 
in  the  west  part  of  the  parish  was  afterwards  abandoned — 
transformed  into  a  barn,  and  was  finally  destroyed  by  fire. 
The  new  building  was  dedicated  while  in  an  unfinished  state, 
and  the  Methodist  people  from  all  parts  of  the  town  (Man- 
chester became  a  town  in  1823)  worshiped  in  it  as  one  church 
till  1851,  when  the  church  divided  ;  one  part  went  north  and 
built  a  meeting-house  a  little  west  of  the  Congregational 
house  in  North  Manchester,  which  was  dedicated  Oct.  15, 
185 1,  and  which  they  still  occupy  as  a  distinct  church  organ- 
ization. The  other  part  of  the  church  worshiped  in  the  old 
meeting-house  at  the  Center  till  1854,  when  they  removed  to 
the  new  church  edifice  which  they  had  built  and  dedicated  at 
South  Manchester,  in  which  the  church  worships  at  the  pres- 
ent time. 

The  old  one  at  the  Center  was  sold  to  Mr.  Henry  E. 
Rogers,  taken  down,  carried  away,  and  made  into  tenement 
houses.  Rev.  S.  Leader  is  pastor  of  the  North  M.  E.  Church, 
and  Rev.  Henry  D.  Robinson  of  the  South  Manchester 
M.  E.  Church. 

The  first  Baptist  meeting-house  stood  on  the  triangular 
piece  of  land  between  the  roads  southeasterly  from  the  house 
of  Mr.  Hart  Porter,  and  answered  the  double  purpose  of 
schoolhouse  and  meeting-house.  The  second  was  built  fur- 
ther to  the  east,  opposite  the  town  farm,  and  was  occupied 
for  a  time  ;  but  the  Baptists  being  unable  to  sustain  preach- 
ing there  it  was  finally  sold  and  a  portion  of  it,  at  least,  was 
taken  to  Buckland  and  made  into  a  dwelling-house.  A 
small  Episcopal  church  was  built  on  the  ground  where  my 
house  now  stands,  occupied  for  a  time,  and  removed  to  North 
Manchester  where  occasional  religious  services  were  kept  up 
for  some  years,  when  it  was  converted  into  a  tenement  house 
which  stands  near  the  Second  Coneresrational  church.     The 


73 

two  Catholic  churches  have  been  built  within  the  recollection 
of  nearly  all  present.  The  one  at  the  North,  built  about 
twenty  years  ago,  has  recently  been  repaired  and  enlarged  to 
accommodate  those  who  embrace  the  Catholic  faith  in  the 
north  part  of  the  town.  The  large  and  beautiful  church 
edifice  in  Cheneyville  furnishes  ample  accommodation  for 
those  living  in  South  Manchester.  Both  churches  are  under 
the  pastoral  charge  of  Rev.  James  F.  Campbell.  Episcopal 
services  are  now  regularly  conducted  by  Rev.  Mr.  Warner  in 
the  Center  academy  building,  with  a  good  attendance  and  a 
prospect  of  a  church  edifice  at  no  distant  day. 

Schools. 

Schools  were  established  in  Hartford  and  other  towns  in 
the  colony  at  an  early  period.     It  seemed  to  be  the  settled 
policy  of  the  early  settlers  to  provide  for  the  education  of  the 
masses.     In  1689  a  free  school  was  established  in  Hartford, 
and   in    1700    four   grammar    schools    were   established    by 
authority  of  law,  and  located  in  the  four  county  towns  then 
existing.     In    1690  the   General   Court  ordered:  "That   all 
parents  and  masters  should  cause  their  children  and  servants 
as  they  are  capable,  to  be  taught  to  read  distinctly  the  Eng- 
lish tongue,  and  that  the  Grand-Jurymen  in  each  towne  doe 
once  in  the  yeare  at  least  visit  each  family  they  suspect  to 
neglect  this  order,  and  satisfy  themselves  wither  all  children 
under  age  and  servants  in  such  suspect  familyes  can  read 
well  the  English  tongue  or  be  in  good  proceedure  to  learn 
the  same  or  not,  and  if  they  find  any  such  children  and  ser- 
vants  not  taught  as   their  years  are  capable  of  they  shall 
return  the  names  of  the  parents  or  masters  of  the  sayd  chil- 
dren so  untaught  to  the  next  County  Court  where  the  sayd 
parents  or  masters  shall  be  fyned  20  shillings  for  each  child 
or  servant  whose  teaching  is  or  shall  be  neglected  according 
to  this  order,  unless  it  shall  appear  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
Court  that  the  sayd  neglect  is  not  voluntary  but  necessitated 
by  the  incapacity  of  the  parents  or  their  neighbors  to  cause 
them  to  be  taught  as  aforesayd  or  the  incapacity  of  the  said 
children  or  servants  to  learn."     And  in  those  days  they  also 
10 


74 

fined  the  officers  if  they  didn't  do  their  duty.  The  Assembly 
of  Divines'  Catechism  or  the  New  England  Primer  was  re- 
quired to  be  taught,  and  the  custom  was  kept  up  for  nearly 
or  quite  two  hundred  years.  To  support  the  schools  a  tax 
of  40s.  on  the  .£1,000  was  levied  and  collected  with  the  town 
rates  or  State  tax.  In  1733  the  General  Assembly  appro- 
priated the  avails  of  seven  townships  of  land  lying  in  the 
western  part  of  the  colony  to  the  support  of  schools,  the  same 
to  be  divided  among  the  towns  that  were  then  settled,  and 
to  remain  a  perpetual  fund.  Consequently  the  old  towns 
settled  previous  to  that  date  have  a  local  fund  separate  from 
the  general  school  fund  and  town  deposit  fund,  but  Man- 
chester, being  an  outgrowth  of  Hartford,  has  no  part  of  this 
local  fund.     The  history  of  these  lands  is  as  follows  : 

After  the  death  of  King  Charles  II,  and  the  accession  of 
James  II  to  the  throne  of  England,  Sir  Edmund  Andros 
having  been  appointed  Governor-General  of  his  Majesty's 
colonies  in  New  England,  etc.,  demanded  and  undertook  to 
wrest  from  the  colony  of  Connecticut  not  only  the  unappro- 
priated lands  held  by  the  governor  and  company  of  Connec- 
ticut under  the  charter  of  King  Charles  II,  but  also  the 
charter  itself ;  but  he  failed  in  both  projects,  for  the  General 
Court,  anticipating  his  designs,  in  1686  granted  to  the  towns 
of  Hartford  and  Windsor,  by  a  patent  signed  by  the  governor 
and  secretary,  the  land  comprising  fourteen  townships,  lying 
in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  colony,  which  secured  to 
these  towns  a  good  and  valid  title.  But  after  the  danger  of 
falling  into  the  hands  of  Andros  was  passed,  the  colonial 
governor  claimed  the  lands  as  if  no  grant  had  been  made, 
and  demanded  from  Hartford  and  Windsor  a  release,  which 
was  refused,  and  a  long  and  angry  controversy  followed, 
which  was  finally  adjusted  by  compromise.  Hartford  and 
Windsor  took  Torrington,  Barkhamsted,  Colebrook,  Harwin- 
ton,  Hartland,  Winchester,  and  New  Hartford,  which  were 
divided  between  the  towns.  The  governor  and  company 
took  Norfolk,  Goshen,  Canaan,  Cornwall,  Kent,  Salisbury, 
and  Sharon.     These  lands  were  disposed  of  and  the  avails, 


75 

by  order  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1733,  were  appropriated 
for  schools. 

The  town  deposit  funds  consist  of  the  surplus  funds  dis- 
tributed to  the  towns  some  years  ago  from  the  treasury  of  the 
general  government,  and  are  also  appropriated  to  schools. 

The  general  school  fund  is  derived  from  the  avails  of  a 
portion  of  the  lands  belonging  to  this  State  in  the  northern 
part  of  Ohio,  called  the  "  Connecticut  Reserve."  There  were 
5,666,000  acres  of  these  lands,  of  which  500,000  acres  were 
given  to  Norwalk,  Danbury,  and  other  towns  which  were 
burned  or  suffered  losses  by  fire  during  the  Revolutionary 
War. 

The  first  school  established  within  the  present  limits  of 
Manchester  was  in  the  year  1745.  (The  schools  then  were 
under  direction  of  the  ecclesiastical  societies.)  The  vote  of 
the  Third  Society  of  Hartford,  now  the  First  Society  of  East 
Hartford,  authorizing  this  school,  was  dated  December  24, 
1745,  and  reads  as  follows,  viz.:  "Voted  that  those  persons 
living  on  the  five  miles  of  land  in  this  Society  have  their 
ratable  part  of  the  school  money  improved  among  themselves 
by  direction  of  the  School  Committee  from  time  to  time 
until  the  Society  shall  order  otherwise."  Mr.  Josiah  Olcott 
was  the  first  committee  appointed  by  the  society,  who  lived 
where  Mr.  Sidney  Olcott  now  lives,  and  the  school  was 
located  near  his  residence. 

In  175 1  the  society  passed  a  vote  authorizing  the  estab- 
lishment of  several  schools  on  the  Five  Miles  as  follows, 
viz.  :  one  to  accommodate  Lieutenant  Olcott,  Sergeant  Olcott, 
the  Simonds,  and  those  living  near  them;  one  on  "Jamb 
Stone  Plain,"  one  near  Ezekiel  Webster's,  one  in  the  Center 
between  Sergeant  Samuel  Gaines  and  Alexander  Keeney's, 
and  one  near  Dr.  Clark's.  At  this  date  the  population  of 
the  whole  town  of  Hartford  was  less  than  three  thousand, 
and  Hartford  then  included  the  present  towns  of  West  Hart- 
ford, East  Hartford,  and  Manchester,  and  extended  from 
Avon  and  Farmington  on  the  west,  to  Bolton  line  on  the 
east,  a  distance  of  nearly  fifteen  miles.  The  population  of 
Farmington   then  was  much  greater  than  Hartford  ;  and  in 


76 

population  and  wealth  Middletown  was  nearly  double  that  of 
Hartford.  Since  that  date  the  school  districts  in  Orford  and 
Manchester  have  increased  from  five  to  nine,  and  public 
schools  from  five  to  twenty.  In  1784  there  were  seventeen 
tax-payers  in  Orford. 

When  Manchester  became  a  town  in  1823,  its  population 
was  a  little  over  fifteen  hundred  ;  to-day  probably  six  thou- 
sand and  upwards.  The  population  of  the  colony  in  1779 
was  about  two  hundred  thousand,  and  during  the  century  has 
increased  about  threefold.  The  number  of  children  between 
the  age  of  four  and  sixteen  in  this  town,  according  to  the 
enumeration  of  January  1,  1880,  is  one  thousand  five  hundred 
and  eighty-seven. 


77 


VIII. 

NAMES  OF  PERSONS 

who  signed  the  petition  of  1772  for  the  new  society  which 
was  formed  under  the  name  of  "  The  Parish  of  Orford." 


Josiah  Olcott, 
Solomon  Gilman, 
Timothy  Cheney, 
Richard  Keney, 
Joseph  Sweetland, 
Richard  Pitkin, 
Robert  McKee, 
Malachi  Corning, 
Benjamin  Man, 
Daniel  Sweetland, 
Israel  Sweetland, 
Asa  Woodruff, 
Martin  Woodruff, 
John  Keeney, 
Thomas  Keeney, 
Joseph  Keney,  Jr., 
Thomas  Jasnall, 
Jeremiah  Hurlbut, 
Timothy  Wood, 
Daniel  Hills, 
David  Buckland, 
Henry  Treat,  Jr., 
Thomas  Slate, 
Joseph  Case, 
Joseph  Benton, 
Stephen  Olmsted,  Jr., 
Alexander  Keeney, 
William  Buckland, 
Jabez  Dart,  Jr., 


Daniel  Chandler, 
Alexander  Stedman, 
Nathan  Stedman, 
Benjamin  Simonds, 
Joseph  McKee, 
Joseph  Simonds, 
Jonathan  Mygatt, 
Benjamin  Daman, 
Joseph  Stedman, 
Jedediah  Darling, 
John  McKee, 
Samuel  Simonds, 
Silas  Cheney, 
David  Keeney, 
Timothy  Stedman, 
'Benjamin  Man,  Jr., 
David  Daman, 
Elisha  Buckland, 
David  Case, 
Nathaniel  Olcott, 
Benjamin  Cheney, 
William  Simonds, 
Benjamin  Brown, 
Elisha  Olcott, 
Samuel  Olcott, 
Ebenezer  Briant,  Jr., 
Timothy  Briant, 
Theodore  Keeney, 
Ephraim  Webster, 


78 


Peter  Buckland, 
Thomas  Trill, 
Stephen  Bidwell, 
Alexander  Keney,  Jr., 
Elijah  Peck, 
Richard  Keeney,  Jr., 
Simon  Keeney, 


Matthew  Cadwell, 
Josiah  Loomis, 
Aaron  Right, 
James  Vibert, 
John  Cadwell, 
Daniel  Brewer. 


Two  names  are  omitted  on  this  list,  as  they  cannot  be 
read  on  account  of  the  paper  being  badly  broken  where  it 
has  been  folded. 


'■■• 


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